


Black Flame, Blue Fire

by BlutusMindpretzel



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:02:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 296,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25021339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlutusMindpretzel/pseuds/BlutusMindpretzel
Summary: Azula always knew her purpose would be to serve her father, but as Sozin's Comet draws near, her aspirations find themselves against something she has never before felt: doubt. And as Team Avatar struggles to engineer a final game plan, Ozai may have more up his sleeve than they think. However, one lone stranger may be enough to tip the scales as he searches for purpose of his own.First try writing here, please let me know what you think!Heavy focus on Azula, Mai, Zuko, Katara, and the new guy ;)
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Azula (Avatar) & Uchiha Sasuke & Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), sasuke - Relationship
Comments: 20
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

_**AN: Have been wanting to try this for a while, so please let me know what you think, this is my first time trying something like this and any kind of feedback would be really incredible! Hope it’s not too terrible! XD** _

  
_**For clarification, this begins during The Boiling Rock, Part 1, and everything prior should be considered canon and accurate to this particular universe (unless you want to pretend The Great Divide didn’t happen, works for me). The only real difference is that Zuko and Katara’s episode takes place prior to this one, so bear that in mind as the only real mix-up of the timeline pre-The Boiling Rock.** _

* * *

" _People live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true._  
 _That is how they define "Reality" ._  
 _But what does it mean to be "correct" or "true"?_  
 _They are merely vague concepts..._  
 _Their "Reality" may all be a mirage._  
 _Can we consider them to be simply living in their own world, shaped by their beliefs?_ "  


* * *

**Chapter 1: Purpose**

  
**Twelve days before the arrival of Sozin’s Comet.**

  
_Where am I?_

  
There were very few things he knew for certain as he attempted to resuscitate his consciousness. He was on his knees with his wrists bound and stretched to his left and right, rendering the majority of his body incapable of moving. Some form of blindfold had been lain over his eyes, ensuring that all he saw was a perpetual black void. And if all that wasn’t worrisome enough, a numbness that seemed to originate from the back of his neck told him that he was being paralyzed on top of everything else. 

  
_How did I come to be here?_

  
Whatever drug was being injected into his system was keeping the reality of the situation terribly out of reach. He couldn’t remember names, places, or much of anything beyond his own name. The only part of his being that seemed to function appropriately beyond the ability to open and close his eyes were his ears, and they picked up quite immediately on every distant echo that sounded around him. 

  
Wherever he was, it was built of steel and iron as the cold hardness beneath his knees attested to and the groaning echoes of his holding chamber perpetuated. Their volume and long rumbles told him that his chamber must also have been very monstrous in size. Above him came the sounds of heavy and powerful equipment, though it must have been from quite far off. 

  
_Why can’t I REMEMBER._

  
It might have been hours or days or even weeks before a heavy clang sounded somewhere within his prison and he might have tensed had he been able to. Another clang sounded shortly thereafter and silence returned before the soft patting of footsteps nearing him caved in the lack of sound. The idea of unknown figures approaching and being as vulnerable as he was drove another unpleasant stake into his mentality. 

  
At last, voices began to sound around him, the first being nasally and commanding in nature, “What you are about to see is of the upmost confidentiality. Being a new chief penal officer, you are about to enter a small group of individuals who know this part of the prison exists, as well as its contents.”

  
A softer and more amenable tone replied, “I understand, warden.”

  
The steps drew closer.

  
“You were sent by the capital to Boiling Rock with what information precisely?”

  
“Only that the prison required more attention then ever and was at a greater risk of potential escapes than ever—” 

  
The steps stopped as the voice belonging to someone known as the “warden” shouted in response, “Wrong! Potential escape attempts! Prisoners do not escape Boiling Rock prison!”

  
“I apologize, warden, I meant no disrespect, this was simply what I was told before I was deployed here.”

  
A deafening pause sounded before the steps continued. “Pardon my manners, chief officer, but the previous invasion on the day of Black Sun has put most of the nation on edge.”

  
Confusion mingled in the voice of the underling, “Forgive me, warden, but shouldn’t that have bolstered the confidence of the military and the Fire Nation as a whole? The Avatar himself assaulted the Fire Lord’s private residence on the day where we firebenders are at our most vulnerable and still we suffered very few overall casualties.”

  
The warden growled before replying.   
“Perhaps, but prior to the invasion, no one would have even thought an invasion feasible. Not only were our shores breached by the enemy, but said enemy were able to reach our lord himself! Yes, it was a failed invasion, but now an invasion is known to be possible! What’s stopping the Avatar from conducting a raid on the capital again, or on any of the districts, or perhaps a prison?”

  
The emphasis on the last word was not to be missed and the officer took the hint. “I suppose you are correct, warden.”

  
“I always am. Now, while I attest that this prison remains unbreachable and untouchable, an incident occurred only recently that stands as the true reason you, and a fair number of elite soldiers were sent here.”

  
The footsteps drew to a halt at a distance the prisoner could only guess as being feet away from where he knelt, bound and helpless. 

  
“Only a week before the invasion attempt, the Fire Lord visited the temple of Sozin for a long bout of private meditation.”

  
“A common practice during times of war, I’ve heard.”

  
“Hmph. A waste of time in my mind, though I’m sure our Lord Ozai has more reason beyond that for his extended departures from the royal palace. But that is beside the point.”

  
One pair of footsteps began to slowly pace in a wide loop around him and the direction of the voice that followed told him the warden was the one circling him.

  
“Supposedly, though much of this is hearsay as what actually happened was only witnessed by the Fire Lord himself and his personal guard, in the main hall of Sozin’s temple, a black cloud appeared.”

  
The pacing continued and he closed his eyes in frustration; though the blackness remained, performing one of the few motions he was able to was ever so slightly relieving.

  
“And through said black cloud, this boy appeared. He stepped into Sozin’s temple and immediately assaulted the Fire Lord with a powerful array of firebending.”

  
_Firebending?_

  
“Despite whatever skill and power he holds, he was supposedly delirious and clearly exhausted and our Lord Ozai and his personal guard were able to subdue him. He was then sent here and placed in this very lower cell of Boiling Rock.”

  
For a moment, the only sound was that of the warden’s footsteps as he arced around him before the officer spoke up, “I regret to say I am confused by this story, warden; an assassin makes an attempt on the Fire Lord and he is brought here instead of being interrogated and killed in the homeland?”

  
The warden chuckled, a low and awful sound.

  
“I’d be surprised if you weren’t confused by the situation, chief officer. But there are a few answers to your query, though most remain speculative at best. Firstly, do you know why this chamber was built?”

  
“It was designed and constructed to hold the Avatar upon capture. The steel bindings and chamber would be the best way of deterring his bending and the paralysis needle that remains implanted in his neck would keep him helpless even further.”

  
“Correct. Now I will tell you what has been passed through the grapevine to reach us, though I encourage you to take it with a grain of salt. It is all speculative at the moment, but where we have placed this prisoner indicates there may be some truth behind them.”

  
“That being?”

  
“The first speculation infers that, whilst engaging the assassin, several of Lord Ozai’s guard actually turned against him and their fellow guard. They ceased their act of betrayal after the perpetrator had fallen and claimed that after looking him in the eye, they had seen that Lord Ozai and the rest of the guard had been decoys set as a front. Now, Lord Ozai had little mercy for such an act and killed all of them on the spot, but if you look at our prisoner here… “

  
“His eyes are covered.”

  
“Correct, bearing credence to at least part of the rumor being accurate in nature. The second rumor however is less established, and much more impossible then some potential hypnosis technique.”

  
“I’m listening.”

  
“While engaging our lord with firebending, this boy broke the rule of nature that we have accepted as truth for thousands of years. He not only employed firebending but also airbending against the Fire Lord.”

  
“That is impossible. Only the Avatar can utilize any more than one bending of an element.”

  
“Again, this is only hearsay. We can only act on the order of the Fire Lord who has ordered this prisoner be attended to as one of exceptional dangerous potential.”

  
“… I understand, warden.”

  
“It is my belief you will never have to even enter this chamber again. Only the chief penal officers, the elite guard and myself even know this area has a prisoner. It will stay that way. Do I make myself clear?”

  
“Yes, warden.”

  
“I have been made aware that her highness, Princess Azula will be gracing our walls in the following days. The Fire Lord himself has made it known that he does not want her made aware of this prisoner.”

  
There was some audible fear in the officer’s voice as he replied. “The princess is coming here?!”

  
“Indeed. Have you any reservations about that, chief officer?”

  
Another lengthy pause followed by a meager, “No, sir.”

  
The steps resumed again and echoed more and more faintly until two more thunderous clangs rebounded through the chamber, leaving him to reflect in harrowing silence on what he had heard and to twist motionlessly in anger that he still couldn't remember a thing.

* * *

Letting out a grunt of pain, Zuko recoiled as the guard’s fist slammed into his stomach for the umpteenth time. 

  
“You’d better be ready to talk by the time the warden gets back!!”

  
Zuko’s head snapped to the left as another shot from the guard sent stars bursting across his vision.

  
“You didn’t just show up here dressed as a guard for no reason!! You have co-conspirators, a plan or something else up your sleeve, you damn traitor!”

  
Another strike to his gut and Zuko had to keep himself from retching. In a deep part of his mind that wasn’t currently battling the pain he was being subjected to, their was a humorous irony that he, a Fire Nation prince, was currently being beaten for information on his “co-conspirator” who happened to be a member of the southern Water Tribe. Oh, how the tables had turned.

  
As the fist pulled back again for another hit, Zuko decided to at least earn his beating a tad. “Maybe if you actually hitting me instead of poking me with a wet sock, I might be more interested in talking.”

  
There was a shout of anger and Zuko allowed himself a quick smile before his world exploded in another burst of black pain and he nearly was knocked into unconsciousness. As his world swirled and tried to steady, the door to his cell was wrenched open with a wrenching creak. 

  
“You! The warden specifically sent me down here to make sure the prisoner was ready for him, and I find you bludgeoning him half to death!”

  
Somehow, the phony tough-guy voice that Sokka was employing made his appearance next to the guard six times his size even more humorous and Zuko croaked out a laugh. Said massive guard turned to look at him with furious confusion before returning his look to Sokka and jabbing a finger in his direction.

  
“He’s a traitor. The warden would understand!”

  
Glancing carelessly back out into the hallway up and down as if expecting to see the warden coming their way, Sokka looked back to the guard. “Oh, I see, he’ll understand. Why don’t I just go get him and then you can explain that to him and why it’s perfectly acceptable for you to break his rules?”

  
At this, the guard swallowed audibly and backed away from Zuko. 

  
“There won’t be any need for that.”

  
Nodding matter-of-factly, Sokka jerked a thumb over his shoulder and barked, “That’s what I thought. On your way!”

  
His immense size barely allowing him to fit out of the cell entrance, the guard plodded off, muttering darkly to himself. Sokka watched him go before closing the door and sighing wearily. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve this.”

  
Managing to right the world, Zuko gave his head a shake as every part of his body ached. “No, that one I deserved.” Sokka gave him a confused look before adjusting his helmet. 

  
“I think we have ourselves a halfway decent plan, but we’ll only get one shot at it. I’m figuring the best way to kick off a prison riot, if we can manage that, the warden and his head officers will hide on top of the command tower until the situation gets under control. We sneak up there, take him as a hostage and ride the gondola out of here. They won’t cut the wires if we have him aboard."

  
From where he stood chained to the wall, Zuko tried stretching and felt his bruised torso groan in protest. 

  
“Not bad. Suki come up with that one, or was it your dad?”

  
Fixing him with narrowed eyes, Sokka made a face underneath his helmet. 

  
“Hardy-har-har. Just because my first plan didn’t come through, doesn’t mean all of my ideas are terrible.”

  
He paused for a long beat before adding, “Mostly my dad’s idea.”

  
Zuko leaned his head back against the cold wall of his cell, and closed his eyes. “Yeah, I thought something like that.”

  
He heard a few cautious steps and opened an eye to see Sokka peering at him worriedly. “You don’t look so good. Are you going to be okay to make it out of here?”

  
Furrowing his brow, Zuko leaned forward. “Relax, Sokka, I’ve had it worse than this. As soon as it’s time, I’ll be ready to move.”

  
“You sure?”

  
Leading with an angry growl, Zuko couldn’t keep himself from snapping. 

  
“Look, I just had a long visit from my ex-girlfriend who put everything she had into making me feel like the most awful person on the planet, I’ve been beaten like a slave more than once since we got here, I can’t stop thinking about my uncle and what might have happened to him, and on top of all that, Aang and everyone are probably going crazy trying to figure out what to do about us and this stupid stunt we’ve pulled. I just want to get out of here as soon as we can.” Zuko stopped there to take in a breath after digging into all the most prudent points that warranted mentioning. He knew how childish it was to keep complaining, but in that moment, it was all he could think to do. 

  
What came next was something he had not been remotely expecting.   
“I’m sorry, Zuko.”

  
He looked to his companion to see Sokka’s eyes pointed downward and his hands fidgeting nervously; clearly this was something he was having trouble getting out. 

  
“You’re in here getting the crap beaten out of you because of me. I know you’re just trying to help everyone, and after what you did for Katara and Aang… you didn’t need to prove yourself to me. I guess there’s always going to be a part of me that resents you for what you did, but that can’t stop me from accepting you in the now. I know you’ve been hurt, and you’ve had to make just as many sacrifices as I have. And I’m sorry if it ever sounds like I’m belittling that hurt.”  
Zuko felt something in his gut that wasn’t pain starting to swell. It was something that only Uncle Iroh had ever made him feel and he realized that he might have even appreciated Sokka in that moment too. Of course, showing too strongly that he felt that wouldn’t do. 

  
“Sokka, your sister is showing.”

  
At once, his companion straightened and smiled sheepishly. 

  
“Yeah, I guess she would be there. Sorry about that.”

  
He turned to leave the cell and Zuko immediately regretted what he had said, “Hey.”

  
Sokka turned in the doorway and looked back inquisitively. 

  
“You don’t ever have to be sorry to me. Not ever.”

  
There was a long silence between them before Sokka looked away and pounded his fist gently on the door frame. “Tomorrow afternoon. Be ready.”

* * *

In her time traveling with him, Katara was pleased enough to admit to herself that she had very rarely seen Aang truly upset. From saddened to furious, they were not emotions he was often willing to completely succumb to and more often then not, a good talk or some time alone was usually enough to get him back on the straight path.

  
Not that she could blame him for any emotional outburst he might have stifled; there was more than a bit of weight and pressure on his shoulders and at such a young age, he had handled it extremely well and had taken setbacks in surprisingly good stride.

  
Most of the time.

  
“I don’t believe this! How do we not notice Sokka and Zuko flying a giant, stupid war balloon out of here?! How do they not tell us or think to even ask us if we think it’s okay?!” Aang shouted furiously as he paced intensely back and forth.

Katara watched him carefully as she tossed a glance back towards where the rest of their companions were sitting down a set of massive stone stairs; Toph, The Duke, Teo and Haru were likely all silently hoping to catch what was being said, but they didn’t likely want to so much as come near Aang right now. 

  
Katara too was quite upset by the turn of the situation, but keeping Aang in check needed to be her main priority right now. 

  
“Aang, try and stay calm. I’m sure Zuko wouldn’t have gone through with him on this if they didn’t already have a straightforward and reliable plan set in place.”

  
He turned to face her, his large eyes angry and wild.

  
“A straightforward and reliable plan they didn’t want to tell us?!”

  
Katara winced. It was a fair point. 

  
Aang turned away and looked out across the chasm facing away from the air temple that they were currently hiding out in. He spoke again in a much more controlled voice, but there was no less distress in his tone. 

  
“When you and Zuko went to go find the man that killed your mother, I stood back and let you go. I knew that one way or another, it was something that was going to eat at you until you faced it.”

  
Gently and slowly, Katara walked up behind him to look at the setting sun that dipped over the other side of the chasm. “It was.”

  
Aang continued, “But even if I wasn’t happy about it, you still took the time to tell me what you were doing, and why. You still bothered to tell everyone how you felt and why it had to happen!”

  
His tone began to swell again and Katara clenched a fist silently at her side, hoping in her heart that this wasn’t going to be something that she needed to intervene in for the safety of Toph, Haru, and everyone else. She hadn’t expected to succeed in the desert outside Ba Sing Se, and she wasn’t sure she could prevent it again. But as she prepared herself, all at once the fight seemed to drain from Aang and he dropped down to sit cross-legged with his hands underneath his chin. She didn’t need to see his face to know how badly he was hurting. 

  
“I know Zuko is still learning to trust us, just like we’re learning to trust him,” Aang murmured sadly, “but for Sokka to do this… and not even mention it. What if something happens to them?”

  
Feeling her own absolute anger over the situation storming in her gut as well, it was all Katara could do to maintain a calm and composed edge to her voice, one that she hoped would bring Aang some semblance of peace.

  
“We have to trust that what they’re doing is right. If they find dad, then they’ll get him out. If not, they’ll come back to us just as quickly.”

  
He didn’t say anything and she lowered herself next to him before putting a hand on his shoulder. 

  
“They’ve been gone over a day, Katara, the Boiling Rock is only a few hours ride from here.”

  
“Maybe they needed a day to put their plan in motion.”

  
When he only sighed as a response, Katara felt something close to frustration clawing its way up in her insides. Aang couldn’t be blamed for his feelings on what Sokka and Zuko had done, but she needed him strong right now, more than ever. 

  
“Do you want to go after them?”

  
He looked at her in surprise and she stood, looking down at him intently. 

  
“Well? Do you think it would make their situation better if we just flew in on Appa, going crazy with our bending? You don’t think we’d be putting more at risk if we did that?”

  
Realizing where she was going with this, the life went out of Aang’s eyes and he looked back forward, dejected and defeated. 

  
“Katara, please… “

  
“No, Aang, please tell me how you would have us deal with this. All the times you went off on your own, when Sokka and I were with fever, when we lost Appa, when you flew off after you woke up from the coma Azula put you in, every time you gave us no choice but to trust you.”

  
He didn’t say anything in return, and she dropped down next to him, forcing him to meet her gaze.

  
“You have to trust Sokka and Zuko now. They will come back and they will be okay.”

  
For a moment, she was sure that he was going to shut her out again, but he spoke up quietly at her words, “I know. I guess I knew that the whole time, I just… I just thought we’d finally be a point where everyone could just be open with everyone else. I hate not being able to help, or at least offer to. It’s like they knew we’d try and stop them or something.”

  
Hearing him open up was something so completely fulfilling that for a long moment Katara couldn’t respond.

  
He’s growing up.

  
She sat down next to him and pulled him to her so that his head rested on her shoulder. “Probably. But you know what? They wouldn’t have done that if they thought we didn’t care.”

  
Aang shook as he exhaled a single laugh. For a while, they sat against each other, watching the sun set and Katara couldn’t help but feel at peace herself with the situation even despite her own front that she was putting on for him. Slowly, she could feel herself believing her own words and she looked up at the sky in peace… before a pebble zipped into the side of her head and bounced into Aang before clattering away against the stone floor of the temple.  
Katara put a hand to her head in pain as Aang mirrored her movement while snapping angrily, “Toph, what was that for?!”

  
Behind them, the girl in question sat on the shattered remains of a broken pillar, kicking her bare feet carelessly. 

  
“Oh, don’t mind me, just wondering what we’re going to do about your jackass brother and angsty-prince-daddy issues.”

  
Katara felt herself pushed as Aang got to his feet and directed his gaze angrily towards Toph and she felt her heart sink; perhaps she hadn’t gotten through to him at all. He took a deep breath and stared her down furiously and spoke a solitary word. 

  
“Nothing.”

  
Katara snapped her head to look in shock at him. Aang continued to stare resolutely towards Toph who inclined her head in similar surprise. 

  
“Nothing?!”

  
He didn’t back down. 

  
“We have to trust Zuko and Sokka to do what they think is right. Even if we’re not happy with how they handled this, there is nothing we can do that won’t put more at risk. I know you’re mad, and so am I, but for once, we’re going to stay out of it.”

  
Katara was sure that this about to turn into a full blown argument as she had never seen Toph back down from an argument when she was sure she was right. But rather, Toph simply cocked her head at Aang and shrugged. 

  
“Alright.”

  
And she walked back down steps she had come towards where the rest of their small band sat around a small fire. Katara watched her go and Aang spoke quietly next to her, voice rich with disbelief. 

  
“Did Toph just choose not to argue?”

  
Tilting her head slightly in his direction, Katara whispered, “You know Aang, of all the things you’ve accomplished as Avatar, that might be the single most impressive.”

  
They turned to look at each other and for a beautiful moment, their laughter resounded of the remains of the Western Air Temple, permeating its walls with a sound that it had not heard in something near a hundred years. After a while, Katara took Aang by the hand and led him down to join the others around their small fire, trying their best to put aside their fear and their doubt, and to trust in their comrades. And as Aang drifted off on leaning on her shoulder Katara stared towards the bright, shining lights blinking in the night sky, thinking to herself hopefully and angrily.

  
_Sokka… if this trip doesn’t kill you, I honestly might._

* * *

The night was a cool, tender breeze as Azula looked out over the wide ocean lit only by the moonlight. The blue of everything caused her to grind her teeth in annoyance; so much calm was doing just enough to remind her that at a moment’s notice, anything could go wrong. The dragon that was locked in the furnace of her heart whispered to her of all the horrible things that could transpire during the monotony of this voyage. Perhaps their would be another invasion while she was away from the capital, perhaps Ba Sing Se was going to be retaken during her absence, perhaps right now, the Avatar and his damned flying bison would come flying out of the glare of the moon and… 

  
“Azula?”

  
It was with a fair amount of self-control, Azula whirled and managed to keep herself from letting loose a firebolt in the direction of the voice. The dragon had roared to life inside of her, going from playing devil’s advocate to being ready to aid her in unleashing hell on some newfound enemy. Of course, it had only been Ty Lee who had come up silently behind her and was in something similar to a defensive fighting stance as though she had been expecting to be attacked by the princess. Azula turned back to look out over the calm rolling of the water beneath them, cursing the tranquility of it all.

  
“What is it?”  
Having made her presence known, Ty Lee needlessly did a pair of somersaults to stand next to Azula and leaned on the railing, looking out thoughtfully. 

  
“I just wanted to check on you. Usually right about now, you’d be down below, berating the engineers, or the war ministers, or whoever you can find.”

  
Azula felt a content smirk slide onto her face. “I was on the lead cartographer about an hour ago. Did you know that he thought it was appropriate to try and update the map in the war room without even so much as asking for my permission or necessary specifications?”

  
Ty Lee bit her lower lip for an extended pause before asking, “Did you kill him?”  
Turning her eyes to the acrobat, Azula narrowed her eyes. 

  
“I don’t kill every subordinate who fails in their duties.”

  
Ty Lee rocked back on her heels as she leaned over the rail. “Maybe not, but that ratio sure isn’t pretty.”

  
This was something Azula could agree on, but she found the statistic more reassuring than anything. It reminded her the importance of keeping those beneath her in order and served as a constant reminder to all of what could come of failure. 

  
“Are you… worried about Mai at all?”

  
Pulling a face, Azula turned her gaze down towards her the youngest member of her team in annoyed confusion as the question came out of nowhere.

  
“Why would I be?”

  
Fidgeting with her hands and looking like she was trying hard not to look perplexed, the acrobatic warrior continued to watch the ocean and moonlit sky, not meeting Azula’s gaze. 

  
“I’m just thinking how fast she took off to Boiling Rock after she found out Zuko was there. It was so sudden, she didn’t tell either of us. I don’t know, I guess I was just thinking maybe her… involvement? If that’s the right word, with your brother might lead to some trouble.”

  
Fully annoyed now, Azula crossed her arms. “I hope you’re not trying to suggest that one of my two handpicked soldiers would be harboring sympathies towards the enemy.”

  
As Ty Lee began to squirm and potentially stammer out some apology, Azula carried on over her. 

  
“I have no doubts about Mai’s loyalty to either the Fire Nation or to me personally; her desire to see my darling brother will only further cement her position as one of us. Seeing him turned traitor might be a little rough on her heart, but in war time, she will know not to show weakness.”

  
Ty Lee opted to simply nod in affirmative and keep her mouth shut which Azula found exceptionally gratifying. 

  
Of course, Mai would not be so shallow as to want to show mercy towards Zuko who had abandoned her in the night in favor of allying himself against his own nation and family. Her feelings might be pained, but there was no question of loyalty, of this Azula was certain. 

  
“Azula, what do you want when this war is over?”

  
The question came blurting out of the mouth of her friend so quickly that it was clear she had said it before the courage left her. Azula turned to see Ty Lee staring at her intently. 

  
“Is that a serious question?”

  
Another nod and those same eyes looking at her with the same fervor told Azula that this was in fact a genuine query and she sighed. It was such a pointless task, pondering the future when the present required every bit of her attentiveness. Looking ahead and trying to guess at unknowns was a dangerous distraction, one she had been fighting before Ty Lee had joined her on the bridge. 

  
“I suppose if you must ask… I can’t be sure. It depends what the outcome of the war will be, whether father will want me somewhere in particular… “

  
“No, Azula, I don’t care what the Fire Lord wants, what do you want?”

  
Azula stared bemused at her friend who saw her expression and made a noise of frustration before beginning to pace, spouting off words furiously as she walked. 

  
“I’m just so worried about you! All you think about it is the war, and fighting, and destroying the Avatar and your own brother, it’s like… it’s like you don’t even want to consider a future where you aren’t perpetually at war, that you just want to fight, that you can’t even think about peace, or love, or anything!”

  
She stopped, and dropped her arms to her side in defeat. 

  
“I just… I don’t want you to throw your life fighting forever.”

  
Apparently content with what she had said, Ty Lee turned away as Azula thought she saw the glistening of tears on her face captured by the moonlight. She strode from the bridge and left the Azula alone again, who stared after her for a long time. 

  
_Stupid girl. Wasting so much emotion being upset over nothing. Why does she care what happens to me?’_

  
She turned her eyes upward towards the moon and closed them, the soft blue light of it seeping blurrily through her eyelids. Why should she care what the future held for her? In the name of the Fire Nation, she would accept whatever responsibilities fell on her shoulders, no matter how heavy or how many. This was her purpose, her calling; if the responsibility to uphold the Fire Nation became that of burning the Southern and Northern water tribes from the face of the planet, she would obey; if the responsibility to uphold the Fire Nation required her to marry the most detestable and undesirable man in her eyes, she would comply. Ty Lee could not possibly understand that burden, she who played everything as though it were a game and who only wanted the world to recognize her individuality. 

  
Azula knew better. She always had known better. 

  
But as she traveled nearer to Boiling Rock prison, she couldn’t help but notice the single sliver of doubt that had wedged itself in the back of her head. The sliver was small, but thin and long, and it only asked her a single question, one that Azula refused to name a subject to.

  
“ _What if?_ ”

  
She shook her head and scowled at the night sky. What a ridiculous train of thought. The only things that mattered were service to her country and to her father. She couldn’t believe how the rest of the world always seemed so unsure, like Ty Lee, always questioning and worried. The reality of the situation was always more simple than they made it out to be, it was what kept things from spiraling out of control. 

  
“ _Azula, your brother may never understand this, but I believe you can. You must always do what is right by your own principles, however hard that may seem to be. If the whole of the world reviles you as a villain, you must shoulder that burden. If nothing but hate is flung your way, you must allow it to glance off your armor. And if anything attempts to stop you? You burn it to the ground and walk over its ashes. That is the curse we bear.”_

  
Her father’s words once again rang in her head and once again rang with perfect clarity; Azula sighed in contentment. It would taste a lie to say that she didn’t care for her father, and for Ty Lee and Mai as well, but that caring was an attachment that could be discarded at a moment’s notice if need be. Nothing could prevent her from making the choices that needed to be made. 

  
There was nothing to come between her and her curse. 

* * *

  
The darkness had grown more oppressive, though he wasn't sure exactly how long it had taken for it to achieve this level of grievance. Not being able to feel the majority of his body was one thing, but being unable to so much as see his surroundings as the prison clanked and rumbled around him was nothing short of maddening. 

  
But still he tried to remember.

  
There wasn't much, truly there wasn't. Not a name, not a purpose, not a single face he could picture to spur memories of where he had come from. He knew that he was strong, there was that. And he knew he had a purpose, a very particular and important purpose. But as he struggled in the dark, desperate for even the barest glow to grace his eyes, nothing concrete came to him.

  
_Wait._

  
That was a glow, wasn't it? Even from behind his pitch black visor, he could see something glowing a faint, but intense blue color just from the bottom of his vision. It slowly increased in power, ramping up to where he knew what he was seeing was not his mind's eye playing tricks on him before his blindfold was swept from his head with a sudden and striking movement.

  
At first, it was only pain that engulfed his vision as the blue glow before him came fully to bear on his eyes that had been seeing only black for some time. His vision blurred with pained tears and he closed them, trying to recover.

  
“You have arrived in this world as an anomaly, traveler.”

  
Unable to look away, he opened his eyes to see that the causation of this harsh blue illumination and the low and powerful voice resonated from the same source. A man stood before him, garbed in simple but important looking robes, long white hair and beard indicative of his age, but the eyes that stared into his and the very stature of the man before him were enough to enforce the idea that age was of no great consequence to this visitor.

  
The ghostly specter continued, “How I can stand before you, and speak to you in a way you can understand, I do not know. But the spirits have deemed you of great importance if they seemed to necessary to pull you into this world.”

  
The prisoner felt a great wave of frustration as he desperately tried to form words to hurl as questions toward this man, questions that didn’t feel they could wait. As if by some providence, the man before him answered one of them.

  
“I can sense your confusion and your lack of memory, no doubt the latter being a byproduct of your sudden emergence here. But your name… I know it to be Sasuke Uchiha.”

  
A name.

  
A name he knew was right, a name that he couldn’t believe had escaped him. Moments ago, he would have given his soul for a wretched name, and now he had one. He started to see flashes in his head, images, faces and moments all strewn about in a tangled clutter. Sasuke shut his mind off from them, knowing that trying to delve into them all at once could scramble his brain much worse than it already had been.  
The blue haunt continued, “I cannot tell you why you are here as my understanding of your purpose is nearly as restricted as yours. But the world has need of you, has pulled you into its arms and I cannot go against the world I protect.”

  
Sasuke tried to stare down the glowing blue shadow before him, but found it to be very difficult to maintain a look into its eyes.  
“The nations of this planet are in conflict; the forces of the Fire Nation and its Lord Ozai work to oppress all others and the only thing that stands between him and fulfillment of this plan is the Avatar, a great warrior who may be of use to you and you to him.”

  
Above Sasuke and his ghostly advisor, there came sounds of a great ruckus as though hundreds of people were screaming all at once and running about in chaos. 

  
“This is where I must leave you. I lament I could not be of more help but I can only implore you heed my words and seek out the Avatar. He may be different from you, but you both may benefit from one another’s strength. If the Fire Lord falls, I believe answers will become clear.. There is a great power I can sense in you, and one way or another, I believe this world will come to taste it.”

  
And the light faded, leaving Sasuke in semi-darkness and alone. 

  
_Who… was that?_

  
That was all he could manage to think towards the form of a man that had just visited him. Someone who had come and gone like a breeze. Someone who had known his name and had freed his eyes through some ethereal means.

  
_Would have liked to no longer be paralyzed though._

  
Being able to look around his chamber, as much as he could with his head being stuck in place, he could see that it was indeed a giant steel cavern of sorts, long and winding pipes snaking over the walls and ceiling which peaked a couple dozen meters above his head. 

  
_It’s all I have now. Find someone known called the Avatar and start working towards answers._

  
The symphony of discord above him continued and added to the yells and pounding seemed to be the sound too of muffled explosions. Before Sasuke could do much to try and rationalize those particular noises, a wrenching metal clang echoed across the walls of his chamber as red light flooded into the room. 

  
A door had swung open in the ceiling ahead of him, revealing a spiral staircase that opened onto the vast metal floor that was his holding cell. Pounding their armored feet along the steps, a group of soldiers came filling swiftly down the stairs, the voices of some of them clashing with the echoing of their footfalls.

  
“Did the warden order us down here?!”  
“It doesn’t matter if he did or not, the rules are absolute; in the case of a level three or greater emergency, we are to watch the prisoner until said emergency has been handled.”

  
“The prisoners are running loose above us!! And we're supposed to watch the one that can't move?!”

  
“Orders are orders.”

  
Spilling towards him as a wave of red-clad guards, the men circled Sasuke who remained motionless on his knees, arms pulled away from him with wrists still bound in chain that tugged away at him into the gloom. They closed in around him cautiously and the man who must have been in charge barked out an order.

  
“Seal us in!!”

  
The red light faded as the door closed again, dousing the room in relative black before an orange glow erupted to life behind Sasuke's field of view and scattered conversation picked up in low, alert tones.

  
“Stay tight everyone. I’m sure they’ll have the situation contained soon enough.”

  
“I heard Princess Azula arrived this morning. Think she might have something to do with this?”

  
“I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. I heard she ordered the sinking of one of the warships after a captain talked back to her. Any crew who made it off in time were pulled aboard the sister ship and made to fight to the death. She's psycho.”

  
“That was never confirmed. Now shut up, both of you, we're not being paid to speculate.”

  
A brief spell of silence followed before one guard took a step back and bumped his foot into something solid that went sliding a foot or so away.

  
“What was that?”

  
“I don't know, my foot hit something.”  
The man who replied turned and knelt next to Sasuke who saw him reach down in front of where Sasuke knelt to pick something up. As it was lifted, it looked to be some sort of metal band with straps attached on either side.

  
“Wait… wasn’t he supposed to be--"

  
As the guard looked from the blindfold to meet Sasuke's eyes and there came a flash of instinct that would have been nearly impossible to ignore. The guard's mouth slacked and he wobbly straightened; in the direction he was facing, the man who had sounded to be in charge spoke harshly.  
“What’s the matter with you?”

  
There was the barest pause before the man in front of Sasuke gave a howl and lurched forward, balls of fire blasting from his palms and fists all over the place. The room exploded into a frenzy of raw heat and bright flashes and Sasuke felt more vulnerable than ever as the shouts sounded around him complimented by the snaps and thuds of the fire. Then, something seared just past his neck and he flinched at the intense heat.

  
 _I flinched_?

  
He had indeed and a simple long breath told him that a fireball had severed the cord pumping him with that paralyzing liquid. Feeling slowly beginning to spread to the far reaches of his body and he grunted as he flexed blood back into his arms. He heard bellowed orders to get the rogue guard under control as he inhaled and exhaled several long times; words leapt to the tip of his mouth, summoned by that same instinctual flash he had felt when looking to the guard.  
“Ice Release: Flash Freeze!”

  
Being able to hear his own voice was almost as gratifying as feeling the sparse water particles in the chamber rush to the shackles that bound his wrists and supercool into ice. Two harsh yanks and the chains exploded into frozen shards, covering the floor in gleaming pieces, glowing in the heat of the fire.

  
The man who had looked him in the eye had been taken down and the rest of the guard had caught onto the fact that their sole job was now rising to his feet, unfettered. The man in charge sported a more ceremonial looking mask and pointed at Sasuke, “Take him down! He must not leave the room!”

  
Fire swirled from the hands of the soldiers and ever so briefly, Sasuke could see something very akin to fear and disbelief running over their faces. He had no time to decipher their concern, however. He was more than ready to depart this hole in the ground.

  
His hands flashed with motion as he spoke words dredged from his subconscious, “Lightning Illusion Flash Pillar!”

  
Leaving his supposed captors flinging fire blindly around them while they clutched their eyes and howled, Sasuke leapt deftly to the stairs, avoiding their askew attacks and preparing one of his own. As he reached forward and a huge fireball of his own blew the door of his prison clean from its hinges, tearing the floor around it to pieces, one thought echoed in his head.

  
_Find the Avatar._

* * *

  
As a man who could have snapped her in half if she kept letting him race her way barreled towards her, Mai swiftly moved to the right to sidestep him and threw a knife into the back of each of his knees. With a howl, he came crashing to the ground and before he could make another noise, Azula dropped out of the sky next to him and scorched the life from his body. Hand still being licked by blue fire, the princess eyed Mai playfully.

  
“Not getting slow, are we?”

  
Another rampaging prisoner came thundering past them, chasing after a pair of much smaller and more terrified looking inmates. Mai eyed him briefly before letting fly a single knife that buried itself in his back. He dropped without a word and within an instant of him hitting the ground, Ty Lee came somersaulting over, used his body as a spring and landed two midair kicks on the other two rioting prisoners, putting them down just as swiftly. She touched down and rolled over to them briskly and the three looked over the courtyard that still was soiled with the results of the prison riot.  
They stood on a higher wall that overlooked the courtyard and gave them a good view of the tower as well. Mai could see her uncle on the walkway that surrounded the tower, no doubt screaming order and trying to remedy the situation. She was just as content to let her relative deal with the mess; only one thing really was mattering in her head at that moment.

  
Azula looked out over the chaos and smiled, “Truly, this may be a blessing in disguise. Half will kill the other half off, and the prison becomes much more controllable.”

  
Mai flicked the princess an annoyed look, “And then the entire world hears word that Boiling Rock is less a prison and more of an adult playground. No more legends of its security or fear or its walls.”

  
“Pish, no one cares about a prison anymore, not with the war winding to a close,” Azula intoned carelessly as she lit blue pockets of flame beneath her feet and rose gently into the air. “Prisoners are just leftover garbage that society tells us we can’t throw away because its bad for the environment.”

  
Walking over and pulling her knives from their victims, Mai didn’t look at her old friend, “Torch the trash then, is it?”

  
She could feel Azula’s cold eyes burrowing into the back of her head. “Of course. Why wouldn’t that be the best course of action?”

  
Mai didn’t say anything, though she immediately wish she had thought up a lie of some kind as Azula made a noise of mock surprise. 

  
“Oh, how foolish of me! My darling brother Zuzu is locked in here, right? And you wouldn’t want him hurt, would you?”

  
Flipping gracefully to land in front of Mai, Azula stared her down, all pretense of her fake compassion gone. “He’s a traitor, Mai. Worse than that, he’s an incompetent traitor. He declares himself against the Fire Nation, flees the capital and what happens? He somehow gets caught here of all places.”

  
Still biting her tongue, Mai walked to stand by Ty Lee as the Fire Nation heir stalked after her, taunting all the while. 

  
“I’m sure you went and saw him since you beat Ty Lee and myself here; did you find any clarification? Any reasoning on why he didn’t even think you worth telling in person that he was defecting and dumping you? Oh, I’m sure dear Zuko just had plenty of things to say.”

  
Ty Lee turned to give Azula a disapproving look. 

  
“C’mon, ‘Zula, cut it out.”

  
She of course did not. 

  
“Tell me, Mai, did he even say sorry? Did he even pretend to still care?”

  
Something tweaked in Mai’s temper and she spun on her heel to close the distance between her and Azula; superior firebending though the princess had, Mai felt a rush of cold satisfaction that she stood taller by several inches. It felt good to look down on Azula who so rarely had anyone do such a thing to her.

  
“Alright, Azula, you want to do this right now? Fine. Zuko actually did say sorry. He apologized for hurting me and for lying to himself because he wanted to be with me. He’s hurting more than you can guess, not that you’d care, and you know why? Because he gives a shit about other people and what they think. He did what he thought was right, and even though I hate him for what he did, I think I can forgive him anyway.”

  
Clearly surprised to be spoken back to, Azula blinked for a moment before narrowing her eyes and jerking her chin sharply in Mai’s direction.

  
“And why might that be?”

  
Mai leaned in.

  
“Because I still love him.”

  
For a long moment, they stared one another down, dares in their eyes for the other to make a move. Mai felt that she actually saw a wisp of blue fire around Azula’s fingertip before Ty Lee, who had momentarily been forgotten along with the roars and ruckus of the riot beneath them, shouted while pointing wildly.

  
“Zuko!”

  
In unison, the pair of them snapped their gazes to the acrobat, and Mai ran up to grip the railing tightly, staring over the carnage of bodies and hurled fire. 

  
“Where?!”

  
She followed the direction her friend was pointing in and with a rush in her gut, she saw Zuko with two other people standing on the walkway that her uncle had been shouting orders from moments ago. He was still up there, but had been subdued by a young woman that Zuko was with; for a moment, her temper flared violently.   
And who might she be?

  
The other person, an older waterbender by the looks of him, flipped a guard over the walkway and gestured for Zuko and the girl to follow him, and they complied, carrying the struggling warden with them. Mai couldn’t make out the words they were saying, but they could have been speaking gibberish for all she cared. 

  
Zuko was alive.

  
Azula was already on top of the situation with her usual prowess and cold efficiency. “They’re planning on riding the gondola out of the prison! They’ll use the warden as a hostage to make sure we don’t stop them or cut the wire and drop them.”

  
Ty Lee turned to face the princess, “How do we play this out?

  
But before Azula could reply, a strange blue glow began to resonate beneath them. Mai looked down to see what was causing it, thinking that perhaps Azula was generating a massive amount of her blue fire beneath them, but that was not the case. The glow was coming from beneath the floor and was expanding to a diameter of at least a dozen feet; several of the warring prisoners and guards had taken notice and had backed off in likely hope of some kind of self-preservation. 

  
The blue light flashed then in a glinting explosion and the metal floor of the courtyard’s base erupted outward, sparking lightning in all directions and tossing aside those unfortunate enough to be near it. The metal was torn outwards and curled aside to open a hole well wide enough to accommodate a crowd of people, but one mere figure jumped from the now smoldering crater and landed lightly around the mixture of rioting prisoners and soldiers who had come together to stare in bewilderment at the newcomer.

  
At once, four soldiers rushed him, both with weapons raised and fire spewing from their clenched fists. The young man waited until they were right on top of him before seeming to suddenly be above them without having moved at all. His feet came down on the heads of two of the men, bashing them into unconsciousness on the floor before he leaned into the third, grabbing the man's spear and forcing it into the chest if the fourth. The impaled soldier toppled and the third dropped his spear in shock at the speed it had been redirected with before spinning to life a whip of fire. The tongue of flame lashed through the air, but the figure seemed to weave in and out of it, fire collecting around his own hand; as he reached the flailing and final attacker, the flame exploded through the man's torso as the prisoner extended his hand to touch him. Seared and destroyed, he collapsed, and the figure touched the ground almost exactly where he had been before, now surrounded by four downed soldiers.

  
Impressed, Mai gave a slight nod in the figure's direction, “Who's the guy Azula?”

  
The princess shook her head once, eyes alight with suspicion and confusion, “I have no idea. I went over the prisoner manifesto three times on the trip over and other than the Kiyoshi warrior girl, there was no mention of someone so… young.”

  
Ty Lee had a broad smile on her face as she leaned over the railing to get a better look.

  
“Or so cute!”

  
Both Mai and Azula gave her an exasperated look to which she only shrugged guiltily. Azula rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the situation at hand. “Ty Lee, go after my brother and his little party of escapees. Plug them all up, make sure they won't be going anywhere.”

  
The acrobat nodded in affirmative and began to head towards the tower before looking back, eyes wide with curiosity. 

  
“What about the both of you?”

  
As though whatever animosity had been grinding between them had disappeared, Azula fixed Mai with a hungry smile. “What do you think about introducing ourselves to our ‘cute' newcomer?”

  
Mai shrugged and felt for the handles of her knives, making sure she was fully equipped, while sarcastically replying, “I suppose you’re calling dibs on him afterwards?”

  
To her surprise, instead of responding in turn, Azula's cheeks flushed as she snapped, “Why ever would I do that?”

  
With a slight sense of satisfaction and humor in her heart, Mai shrugged again.  
“Never mind.”

* * *

  
As the last of his attackers fell onto the steel floor with a crash of armor, Sasuke looked around at the dozens of onlookers, daring them to advance. None of them, not prisoner or masked guard seemed willing and Sasuke took stock of this, as he began to flick his eyes around, trying to guess at the fastest way out of this prison. Save for the couple dozen assorted men watching him, fights were still running rampant past them and all around and he imagined that escape before this riot ended would be most preferable.  
It was then that he heard a door squeak open behind him, and out of the corner of his eye, he watched a guard with armor that looked outlandishly too large for him, looking like he was trying hard to be relatively inconspicuous. When he saw that no one was paying him much mind, he began to scoot around the outer wall in the direction of the main tower, muttering too himself.  
“Looking good, looking good… and won't everyone be happy to see I brought them all presents. Katara probably will chew me out for wasting time on this, but when one of these babies saves her in a pinch, ah, that would be so, so sweet.”

  
Sasuke noted that the guard was also carrying a few weapons under his arm; a short pike with a hook on its reverse end, a longsword that looked almost ceremonial in nature, and—

  
The last weapon was a short, straight sword of no particular note in a black scabbard and while anyone else might have ignored it, Sasuke froze for the shortest moment.

  
 _That’s mine_.

  
It was all he could think before he took a step towards the lone guard who hadn’t noticed him. Somehow, he knew that sword belonged to him and if there was anything he knew for certain, he was going to act on it.

  
Or at least, he would have, had he been able.

  
A flaming orb of a bright blue splashed at his feet, bursting out like a flower of some hellish origin. The guard carrying the weapons elicited a very peculiar squeak and dashed away, his unobtrusive act left by the wayside. Sasuke turned to see a young woman dressed in royal garb and wearing a very ravenous expression touch down a fair distance from him. Behind him, another young woman dropped, looking equally upper class but dressed much more relaxed. She seemed more at odds with being there but there was no denying the cold steel in her gaze. 

  
Ahead of him, the more restless looking woman addressed him, voice loud and smooth across the courtyard. 

  
“I don't suppose you’d be willing to tell me what you’re doing here, since I have a strong suspicion you don't belong amongst these degenerates.”

  
Slightly relieved to have someone who was at least willing to talk, Sasuke also noticed however that the courtyard quickly cleared of all other people, prisoners and soldiers alike. The guard who had made off with his sword had vanished, but one thing at a time.

  
“You'd be correct. I don't know how I came to be here, but I intend to leave as soon as possible.”

  
Her constant and ardent smirk was anything but reassuring.

  
“Only the most dangerous and important prisoners wind up here at Boiling Rock. I’m sure your stay was not made without warrant.”

  
A gently glimmer in the hot sun told Sasuke that the woman behind him who hadn't spoken had weapons drawn. He tried again to be somewhat diplomatic but his impatience with the situation was rising.

  
“I’m not here for a fight.”

  
He decided to be relatively honest; not a tactic he liked, but if these women knew the man he was looking for, it would speed up his search tenfold.

  
“I’m looking for someone called the ‘Avatar'. I believe he and I can help one another.”

  
The words had barely left his mouth before he realized this had been a poor choice of words. The woman's smile transformed into a look of raw fury and she propelled herself into the air on azure flames. As Sasuke felt the sullen woman behind him tense, the one bearing down on him snarled furiously, “Another traitor! You will burn alongside my brother!!”

  
Sasuke exhaled in soft exasperation as teeth of a broiling blue inferno closed around him.

* * *

  
_**AN: Please let me know what you think! And thanks so much for stopping by!**_  
 _ **P.S. For those curious, this is Sasuke post Raikage fight, pre Danzo fight**_.


	2. Chapter 2

**_AN: I genuinely can’t believe people are giving this the time of day. Thank you all so much for stopping by to read, favorite and follow, and a sincere special thanks to those who have left reviews thus far, I can’t tell you how much reading what people think of my writing means to me. Much love to you all!_ **

****

** Chapter 2: Misalignment  **

Narrowly avoiding a knife that swept past his ribs, Sasuke attempted a grab at the arm of the sullen young woman trying to slice him open, but to his surprise, a brisk show of speed put her well out of his reach before he could even begin the movement. He only had the briefest moment to acknowledge his failure before a scorching missile caught him in the back, searing painfully before his chakra flow dispelled it from dealing further harm.

_Chakra… that’s right. And my Sharingan._

His instincts and movements were becoming recollections as he recalled words and teachings from what seemed like eons ago. Turning to face the flame wielding young woman, he found himself quickly assailed by a flurry of hurled sapphire spheres that blasted apart whatever they touched, from the ground to the walls. His Sharingan allowed him to slip around them, though he nearly missed the woman’s companion who slipped past the flames just as easily and sent two sharp jabs at his face. Tensing, he leaned back, focusing chakra in his feet to keep himself rooted and as she reached him, he was able to take her by the wrists and kick her over his head. He only had time to see her roll to her feet in a swift recovery before a tendril of fire snapped into him and sent him crashing to the ground. As he skidded a good dozen yards, he took his momentary respite to take stock of his foes.

This world was still very foreign to him, but if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that he knew strong opponents when he saw them. Both of the young women were about his age, and just as well trained as he was in their respective arts.

The more aggressive of the two as far as fighting went, the flame wielding one had a powerful grasp on her skills and while very zealous with her attacks, there was a fierce control about her that told Sasuke she didn’t place a fireball except exactly where she meant to. She continued to advance on him with a pretentious and avid smirk that told him she was also fully enjoying every attack she sent his way.

The other was much more reserved but no less skilled. She would wait for windows to attack when Sasuke was focused on avoiding the other’s offensive, and she never missed a single one, applying a constant pressure that made getting any sort of real breather near impossible. Save for this very moment where he picked himself slowly up, Sasuke wasn’t sure he had been able to stop moving during their entire engagement.

As they neared him and he saw them tense for another onslaught, he decided to probe a bit; if he could buy enough time, he knew his eyes could help him acquire what he needed from the both of them.

“So, this Avatar isn’t a friend of yours, is he?”

Fire crackling around her wrists, the first young woman fixed him with a repulsed sneer, “Are you trying to make some kind of joke, or are you just stupid? The Avatar is everything the Fire Nation needs rid of, he gives hope to the weak and delays our permanent rise to power all the while, all in the name of some stupid sense of morality and stubbornness.”

Straightening, Sasuke cocked his head while feeling the vague memory of a stupid, smiling face slip through his mind.

“Funny, that reminds me of someone I think I knew.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed to slits.

“You can take that humor to the grave.”

Sasuke wasn’t ready for it; all that time, he was certain he had seen the maximum speed and cohesion they could offer, but they had duped him perhaps the entire time. Coming in very near the ground, the knife wielder rose in the blink of an eye to leap over his head, striking downward with two knives. Sasuke batted one aside, but the second sank into his shoulder almost to the hilt. The pain was much less of a surprise as the fact that she had actually managed to hit him, but then the _first_ woman threw a flaming sphere the size of a small boat at him, forcing him to leap away to avoid it, but this only led to the second woman, who was _still in the air_ , to drive her feet down into his back and sending him skidding into the ground once again.

On his hands and knees, Sasuke saw something pitch black and swirling in the corner of his eye as he grit his teeth behind tight lips.

_If these two keep this up, I might get mad._

But no. Amaterasu was not necessary, nor did he want it to be. If Sasuke had preferred, a taijutsu beatdown mixed in with some regular jutsu would likely have been enough to put these two in their place, but he also felt that time was not on his side. This would be quicker.

And some small vile part of him told him he might enjoy this.

Slowly standing, he raised his hands in another attempt to be diplomatic. “I don’t want to fight. I just—“

This time, he saw it coming a mile away. These two women were not the type to squander an enemy having their back turned; they both came on full force and he used his chakra to feel them rushing ever closer before turning at the last moment, eyes flashing red.

_You did this to yourselves._

* * *

Zuko scrambled on his hands and knees to the edge of the cliff, battered and injured and in no state to fight any further. He looked over the edge, hundreds of feet down into the raging sea below, as if contemplating hurling himself over the side to escape her.

“Zuzu… it didn’t have to be this way.”

Azula paced towards him, the last remnants of what she believed to be love falling away as she steeled herself with raw purpose. Her brother looked back at her, eyes wide and a hand raised pathetically as if to stave off what would be the finishing blow. Looking down at him, Azula raised her hand as Sozin’s Comet passed above them, the world around them being consumed in flame.

“Goodbye, brother.”

And as though she had been waiting her whole life, she brought her hand in a sweeping arc and with a shout of conviction, she cut down the last thing between her and finality.

Above her and the corpse of her brother, she saw her father’s airships laying waste to the entirety of the Earth Nation, turning their pathetic stone barriers and walls to molten slag. Her father himself was likely near to finishing the Avatar off, if he hadn’t already; Ozai had told her that he would wait until Aang activated the Avatar State before killing him. With that, there would be no successor to the young man and the Fire Nation would reign supreme forever. Azula threw her head back and laughed at the scorched sky, relishing the heat that roiled around her, gripping every part of her tightly in its embrace.

But she wasn’t laughing.

After a moment, she realized she was crying. And not just quiet tears, but real sobs were wracking her body, painful and overwhelming. Her breathing came in jerking and uneven intervals as she fell to her knees, the same fire she had been embracing now crashing against her in with a restrictive and terrorizing grip. She couldn't be sure why she was crying until her hands fell over her brother and she gave a yell of shock and fell away from him.

Her heart pounded as she stared at his body.

_Did… did I do that?_

“Why are you crying?”

She rolled over in shock at the voice that seemed to echo all around her. As she clambered to her feet, hands raised in preparation to fight this newcomer, she saw that she was alone on top of cliff, no one to be seen.

Still, the voice persisted. “You’ve achieved that final goal you’ve been striving towards for years, and now you lapse into despair. Is it regret?”

Azula spun, eyes flashing wildly at the sky and the ground, desperate to put a face to this oppressive voice that almost seemed to be inside her ears.

“Where are you?! Show yourself!!”

Even to her, the voice that usually was nothing short of commanding and purposeful sounded to her to be on the edge of breaking. She hated how she sounded, but she also was having trouble gathering the strength to care. “Don't you dare hide from me!! I am heir to the Fire Lord, the ruler of all four nations!”

The voice was a despicable level of calm and controlled.

“The only one hiding here is you, princess. Hiding from yourself and your true feelings, and from the fact that you’ve been nothing more than a tool your whole life.”

Screaming angrily, Azula drew up a cyclone of fire around her and blew it out from her in all directions; this invisible instigator would not be able to hide from that, and she blew out a relieved breath as she wipes her cheeks free from tears.

“You have nothing.”

The voice sounded directly behind her and she turned in a panic to see the prisoner from Boiling Rock staring at her with a flat, impenetrable stillness. Shocked he hadn’t been destroyed by her attack, but thrilled she could finally see him, she loosed a flaming bolt towards him. It passed directly through him without leaving the barest mark.

“You _are_ nothing.”

Generating a blaze of fireballs above her head, she dropped them towards him and they combusted in a wild burning tempest around him, but when they flame and smoke cleared, he stood untouched.

He took a step towards her. “All the ones who cared for you have died or left your side. Your father will abandon you, like a craftsman would do to an obsolete device of no further use.”

Feeling her body howl in protest at the sheer force required to create it, Azula pulled to life a firestorm around him and directed it inwards, and the resulting explosion shone as bright as the sun.

He remained unscathed and took another step.

“You will be left behind, unloved and unneeded. Nothing but a shadow.”

Azula raced towards him in a last ditch effort to silence his words, gathering intense heat around her forearm. It blazed and formed into a tight glove of energy, pointed at the tip of her fingers to become a spear of torridity and she launched it at his chest. Fully expecting it to pass clean through him as though he were just the same as the smoke that filled the sky, Azula felt her heart skip as her improvised weapon contacted his chest and sank right through him. She looked up to his face with glee, furiously excited to see him die.

But she saw not the hard stare of the prisoner, but the pained face of her Uncle Iroh.

He reached weakly for her face and she felt his rough hand caress her cheek as tears leaked from his eyes.

“Azula… I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there for you… I wanted to help you and Zuko so badly…”

She blinked in utter disbelief and pulled her hand from her uncle's chest and he dropped to the ground, breathing in a rattling and unstable way. “I… I didn’t want your help,” she muttered weakly, but fresh tears stung at her eyes.

Her uncle gave her an agonized final look and whispered his last words, “I… love you, Azula.”

“No, wait, NO!! IROH!!”

Azula heard herself shout as his eyes glazed and his breathing stopped. She fell to her knees again and put her hands over his body and realized how badly she was shaking.

“I didn’t… I wasn’t… “

Behind, the prisoner spoke. “You could have saved him.”

From the ground, she turned to see him still staring at her with those eyes, those dammed eyes. She could see now a red pattern in each of his pupils, mesmerizing and hellish. Seeing no other recourse, she crawled the few feet between them and bowed her head.

“Please… stop this.”

As her tears blurred her view of the ground, the reply she received was anything but sympathetic.

“You… you who are without mercy, without humanity, now reduced to what so many of your victims were.”

Sensing a vast, looming presence, Azula turned up her gaze to see that the stranger had disappeared, but above her in the sky, two massive orbs peered down at her. Red holes with sinister patterns gazing down at her, judging her and condemning her. Closing her own eyes and completely surrendering, Azula rolled over and put her hands over her face. She cried then, openly and completely, wondering how it was that she could have come to this.

* * *

Sasuke looked at the two women whom he had places under genjutsu; on both accounts, he was surprised by what he had seen. The woman he now knew to be named Mai had been possessive of a fair bit more compassion then he had expected and subjecting her to the torture of the people closest to her and been more than sufficient to drop her into a momentary state of agony. She was on her hands and knees, quietly pleading with some unknown captor to stop hurting her boyfriend, or the other of the three girls he had seen, or Azula.

_Azula…_

Now this had been interesting. He had seen no immediate relationships he could torment her with, and nor could he see any real fears until he found something behind the last place he could have thought to look. Concealed behind her ultimate drive and motivation, her desire to completely win this war she was wrapped up in, was a true and absolute fear that she would be entirely destroyed by the resulting consequences. On the surface was teeming hatred for her brother and uncle, yet he saw her crumble when confronted with their deaths. She came across as a hardened warlord, but when stripped away, she was an emotionally stunted child.

She writhed at Sasuke's feet now, these nightmares plaguing her waking conscience with their cursed images. For a moment, Sasuke forgot about his own goal in the now, why he had placed the two of them under genjutsu.

_Find the Avatar._

Both Mai and Azula had exceptionally strongly willed minds and without knowing how to actually subject them to Tsukuyomi, he was already starting to feel drained at the effort to keep them in his illusion. Chakra seemed to operate differently within them, as though it was more simple, yet much harder to combat. As though their very existence provoked the idea that chakra was less a part of them and instead, there was something else.

_Tsukuyomi… where have I heard that before?_

He knew of the technique, what it did, but where had he seen it used? _Had_ he seen it used? Scowling at the uselessness of trying to recall that what so eluded him, he dragged first Azula and then Mai to rest against the back wall of the courtyard. They had attacked him, but he had no interest in having them be killed by rampaging prisoners; he felt he knew what happened to those of royalty and privilege when an establishment collapsed, and these two might suffer grave consequences if they were found before his genjutsu wore off.

Leaving them out of sight and out of the way, he looked at the tower and the walkway that now only held a couple bodies, none of them moving. Focusing his chakra flow again, he ran directly at the wall and sped up it as though it were parallel to the ground below him. Within seconds, he had scaled the tower and touched down on what seemed to be a platform occupied by a gondola station.

“Suki, come on!!”

Directing his sight towards the voice, Sasuke saw the same guard who had run off with his sword, now free of his mask, attempting to operate the gondola controls. Bodies were strewn about the upper pad of the tower, all appearing to be soldiers and guards that had been subdued or killed. He could also see a few figures shadowed and already on board the gondola and the only ones not amongst that number and were still standing were the guard who had yelled, and two young women who were engaged in a furious bout of hand to hand combat.

One was dressed in what Sasuke had gathered was standard prisoner garb and was having to fight on the defensive, though putting up quite the fight of her own. The second girl caught Sasuke off guard though as he had seen her not moments ago in Mai’s illusionary world. She fought with a vigorous and smooth style, and seemed to have most of her offense focused on making short, sharp jabs, likely to try and disable her opponent through pressure points. She also seemed to be enjoying the bout, though not as Azula had; rather, this girl looked as though she were partaking in a friendly competition with no real stakes.

_Ty Lee, if I recall?_

As if she had heard him speak her name aloud, the second woman performed an acrobatic disengagement from the prisoner and landed atop the gondola to stare down at Sasuke with wide, intense eyes.

“Mai and Azula!! What happened to them?!”

There was no longer any enjoyment behind her eyes and she looked more so as though she were about to spring for his throat. Still, Sasuke didn’t speak a word, just watched her calmly. He remembered his duel with Rock Lee well enough to know how to deal with a fighter like this, if he let her make the first move.

_Wait. Rock Lee? Who’s—_

His confusion nearly resulted in him receiving a violent kick to the head and he barely managed to move away in time, just enough to turn what might have been a concussive strike into a glancing blow that still sent him reeling away. When he straightened, he saw Ty Lee only a few meters from him in an aggressive stance, eyes both furious and terrified, and watering with tears.

“If you hurt either of them… if you so much as _touched_ them, I’ll—“

Sasuke finished her sentence coldly. “Cry?”

With a scream of fury, she rushed him, and he came under the same attack that the female prisoner had been subjected to moments before. She was quick, and more than quick, she was precise. Her movements would redirect with every attempt he made to juke, and he was being forced to dodge outright. There wasn’t a great deal of room to maneuver, and she was relentless.

Then, as she leapt into the air to come down with a powerful overhead kick, something came spinning through the air behind her and clipped her hip, sending her unceremoniously to the ground. The object continued spinning to arc back around and Sasuke watched it return to the hand of the unmasked soldier, who then waved with his boomerang.

“Come on!!”

Realizing both that the gondola was moving and that the guard was addressing him, Sasuke propelled himself swiftly to leap and land where Ty Lee had been moments before. Balancing atop the gondola, he looked back to see Ty Lee on her feet and staring furiously in his direction. She took a step towards the gondola and Sasuke realized that someone with her skill could probably traverse the wires with ease. Hoping to discourage her, he summoned Chidori to his hand, letting the blue electricity snap and flash around him. She saw this and paused. For a long moment, he thought she would rush after him regardless before she turned on her heel and raced for the stairs alongside the tower. Not sensing that he was in any more immediate danger, he banished the Chidori and swung through an opening on the side of the gondola to confront his fellow escapees.

The first person he saw was the guard who he saw then to be likely no older than him, late teens at the very oldest. Adjusting his armor that still looked absurdly unsized, he put on a large and grateful smile.

“Thanks for your help back there. Though I’ve never seen Ty Lee get so mad.”

He walked past Sasuke and looked back the way they had come before glancing back with a cautiously curious look. “You didn’t happen to… fight Mai and Azula at once, did you?”

Sasuke felt no need to lie, even to these strangers. With any luck, he would be rid of them as soon as the gondola reached its sister station.

“I did.”

The guard stared in amazement.

“And you didn’t die?! Holy smokes, I’d count your lucky stars, friend.”

Before Sasuke could even think of a reply to that, he was grabbed by the shoulder and pushed against the wall of the compartment. He found himself then face to face with another familiar visage: a young man with short black hair and a violent burn over his eye that had resulted in a brutal scar. He snarled at Sasuke angrily, “Did you hurt her?!”

The guard as well as an older man with thick, shoulder length hair came up behind who Sasuke knew to be Zuko and gently pulled him back, the former muttering, “Hey, hey, Zuko, easy now, don’t exactly think we need a fight to break out all the way up here, right?”

Knowing full well of the relationship between Zuko and Mai, as he had seen vivid proof of it minutes before in Mai’s head, Sasuke shook his head. “She passed out, but she wasn’t hurt. Just a little rattled perhaps.”

This didn’t seem to calm Zuko’s temper in the slightest.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Fortunately, the guard stepped past Zuko in an attempt to calm the situation. Sasuke was grateful; he hadn’t been looking forward on trying to explain genjutsu and was honestly more sure that he wouldn’t have even mentioned it. He didn’t know if he wanted letting this world know of his many talents, like his Sharingan and his various jutsu. It seemed clear that this world, whatever it was, had a viable difference in all of the constants that Sasuke had known, differences in chakra and in jutsu. Or bending, as he had heard.

“Look, we don't need to do this, Zuko. If your girlfriend tried to knock him off, he had to defend himself right? And he says he didn’t hurt her, right?”

Zuko pointed sharply at Sasuke.

“And I’m supposed to trust what he says?!”

The guard shrugged helplessly. “I don't know what to tell you, buddy. All I know is that we all escaped the same prison, and there's no way to really verify anything he says. Unless you want Chit Sang to throw you back to the prison and check for yourself.”

In the corner, a man that might have stood seven feet tall with muscles of absurdly large proportions stood and offered a subtle wave. Zuko spent several long seconds staring Sasuke down before coming to some internal conclusion. Turning away, he walked to another corner of the gondola and crossed his arms, eyes fixed angrily on the ground.

Turning carefully away from Zuko, the guard gave Sasuke an apologetic look. “Sorry about him. He's had a real rough go of it: father burned his face and vanished him, he lost contact with his uncle who was the one person who accepted him, he's been doing his best to try and win us all over—”

“Sokka, I’d rather you didn’t,” Zuko growled from the corner, still not looking up. The young man Sasuke now knew as Sokka winced.

“Sorry, yeah, me and my big mouth.”

He scratches the back of his head for an awkward moment before seeming to remember something.

“Well, anyway, I’m Sokka, like he said. That’s Chit Sang, Suki and my dad.”

He pointed at each of them respectively: other than the behemoth prisoner Sasuke had already been acquainted with, Suki gave him a nod, but he could read the distrust and suspicion in her eyes. Sokka’s father was much more amenable and actually reached out to shake Sasuke’s hand. His face was tired, but his eyes glowed with the fire of a warrior. Pulling away after a short, firm handshake, Sokka’s father, or Hakoda as he introduced himself, toed the last passenger aboard the gondola, a very vain looking man who was bound and lying on the floor.

“I don’t suppose you’ve met the warden? We’ll be dumping him off at the other gondola station, but if you have any parting words for our beloved caretaker, now might be the time.”

From the ground, the captive warden muttered sourly, “You peasants dare address me in such a fashion… “

_“Despite whatever skill and power he holds, he was supposedly delirious and clearly exhausted and our Lord Ozai and his personal guard were able to subdue him. He was then sent here and placed in this very lower cell of Boiling Rock.”_

While his face was not one Sasuke recognized, his voice surely was; reaching down, he grabbed the warden by the front of his garments and slammed him against the gondola wall. He stared into eyes that now shone with distinct fear as several voices rose up behind him in shock and protest. Ignoring them, Sasuke bore his eyes into the warden’s.

“How did I come to be in your prison?”

He didn’t feel it would be necessary to raise his voice, and his assumption was correct. The warden began spilling information as freely as if ordered by the universe itself. “You were brought in during a routine shipment! You were in a special transfer crate, just like we use to move all our prisoners capable of bending, but I only was made privy to your… history shortly thereafter!”

Sasuke didn’t loosen his grip, “What history? You told that man that all you knew were rumors.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Do you believe them?”

The warden swallowed and raised his hands in a sign of surrender. “Please, I’m not paid to make guesses on such things! I only maintain the prison and its occupants!”

Sasuke briefly considered putting him in a genjutsu to test the truth, but he found that he believed the warden. That, and he didn’t want to expose his abilities in front of all these people, especially since they seemed to be intent on letting him live. And on top of that, he still felt drained from putting both the princess and Zuko’s girlfriend under.

_Unbelievable. Just two people were that much of a drain on my chakra._

Releasing his grip, the warden dropped back to the floor just as the gondola gave a hearty jerk and stopped. Sokka looked out the door and sighed with relief before returning his look to Sasuke with a cautious edge to his eye.

“We made it. Let’s get off everybody, before they come looking for us.”

Sasuke departed the gondola last and watched them deposit the warden in the empty gondola station before Sokka and Hokuda stepped aside to exchange words quietly. Suki and Zuko joined the conversation and it quickly became heated and tense; Sasuke didn’t need to use a jutsu to tell that they were talking about him. Hokuda seemed by far the most calm of the quartet, gesturing peaceably while Zuko looked hellbent on stressing something, eyes furious and fists clenched. Suki seemed to be pleading with Sokka about something and he said little in reply, risking an occasional glance in Sasuke’s direction.

After something near a minute of hushed arguing, Sokka finally broke free from their tight circle and walked almost sheepishly up to Sasuke. He looked over at his shoulder at the members of his party who had just been engaging in a fervent debate: Hokuda looked calm, but politely concerned, Suki appeared nervous and Zuko had his back turned outright. Sokka looked back to Sasuke and fiddled with his hands nervously as he spoke.

“Look, stranger, we don’t know much about you, but I do know two things. First, you were locked up, like us. Which means you’re on the Fire Lord’s bad side, which is a plus from us. Second, you managed to hold your own against two of the toughest ladies I’ve ever run into, which means you’re good in a fight.”

He seemed to almost not want to say his peace for a moment, before sighing and continuing, “I don’t know what your plan from here is, but if you’d be at all willing, we’d be honored if you would accompany us back to our camp. If you have anything to tell us about your battles against the Fire Nation that might be of use to some fellow rebels, we’d really appreciate it.”

His eyes lit up, “Oh, and we have food too!”

Sasuke stared flatly at the young man. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of him other than that his energy was on a whole different level. But at the very least, he was offering food and shelter, and while Sasuke planned his next move, he would likely be able to make very good use of them for the time being. He had little to tell them by way of useful information, his memory still being deeply impaired, but they needn’t know that.

Sokka seemed to be getting anxious at the lack of reply, and he nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

“Sooooooo, is that a ‘yeah’? Or a ‘nah’?”

Remembering something, Sasuke reached towards Sokka’s arms and yanked his sword free, growling as he did, “That’s mine.”

Seeming entirely okay with that, Sokka shrugged. “Yeah, sure, no problem. Real nice sword.”

Sasuke gave him a look before gesturing forward.

“Let’s go.”

Clearly having not expected to have had his offer accepted, Sokka’s face lit up into a wide smile. “Fantastic! Alright, we’re gonna snag one of the Fire Nation war balloons they supposedly have stashed on the other side of this mountain and take that back, come on!”

He bounded away back to his group, where Hokuda, Suki and Zuko fell in line behind him, some more grudgingly than others. Chit Sang already was halfway up the hill and was waving them on. For a long second, Sasuke considered this choice he was making. It was very possible that keeping his existence a secret from as many people as possible might be one of his best advantages, but it also happened he was about as lost as he could be in this new world. Perhaps these rebels would have very little useful information for him, but it was his best place to start. Without his memories, without any real knowledge of where to go, or where to begin his search, he would have to play nice.

Sighing through his nose, he followed his newfound companions towards the airfield.

_After all… what are the odds any of these people would actually know where I might find the Avatar?_

* * *

With an explosive gasp, Azula sprang upright, panting and looking around frantically. There were no airships, no bodies, no great smoking sky, or massive pair of eyes staring piercingly down at her. She was sitting against the wall of Boiling Rock prison as the distant sounds of men doing battle touched her ears. For a moment, it was all too overwhelming as though she had just been shaken awake from the most terrible dream; putting a hand over her breast and feeling the violent pounding of her heart, that may very well might have been what happened.

_It wasn’t real… it wasn’t real._

She repeated the three words in her head over several seconds before reality began to catch up. Annoyance and frustration began to dig their way back into her gut and she stood up shakily.

_Of course, it wasn’t real. Stupid of me to think it every could have been. As if I would ever regret my part in bring peace across the nation. It was just some cheap trick that prisoner used to save his hide. A drug to make me undergo some nightmare perhaps._

As her thoughts began to work on rationalizing what had happened, she gradually felt more at ease. Her only regret was that the young man who had tricked her had vanished, likely escaping. If she had him there now, the things she would do to him…

“Azula?”

A cracked voice sounded behind her and she turned to see that Mai was also sitting against the wall, looking as though she were just waking up. She looked as bad as Azula had felt moments before, though Azula was surprised to see tears still streaking down her friend’s face.

“Are you okay?”

Momentarily perplexed at the question, Azula gave Mai a confused look. “Of course I am, why wouldn’t I— “

This was as far as she got out before Mai launched herself to her feet and pulled Azula into a fiercely tight hug. Completely stunned, Azula could only stand there as she felt Mai pull in shaky breaths and hold her as though her life depended on it. She said nothing, and didn’t release Azula until another voice called out above them.

“Azula! Mai!”

Turning to see where the voice had come from, Azula saw Ty Lee looking down at them from the walkway around the prison tower. Agilely leaping her way down, she raced over to the pair of them and threw an arm around each of them, pulling them into a three way hug. Starting to become annoyed with these needless shows of affection, Azula patted both her friends mechanically on the back in an effort to speed things up.

When Ty Lee pulled away, she too looked on the verge of tears.

“I’m so glad you’re both okay… I was so worried!”

Mai seemed to have regained her composure and her voice had returned to its normal low and flat tone, “We got caught with our pants down, the young guy had an ace up his sleeve.”

Ty Lee made a pouty face as she joked, “If I would have known pants would be getting let down… “

Azula snapped her fingers as Mai smiled slightly at her friend’s juvenile humor.

“Enough, both of you. Ty Lee, what became of my brother and his comrades?”

Smile disappearing, Ty Lee made a face that Azula rarely saw, one of grudging anger. “They got away. The prisoner you guys were fighting made it up to us, that’s why I thought you both might have been hurt. I fought him before the Avatar’s friend, the cute one, hit me when my back was turned. I took a spill and by the time I was up again, the gondola was already on its way.”

She looked at Mai.

“They had your uncle, but before I attacked, I overheard them saying they would leave him in the gondola station after they made it across.” Mai nodded, a flash of relief crossing her face.

Waving a hand dismissively, Azula turned away from the both of them and stepped away from the wall and out under the furiously beaming sun.

“No matter that they escaped. Their only path forward will be to either trek by land to the ocean or to make off with one of the airships in the northern airfield. With any luck, they just might lead us right to the Avatar.”

Mai stepped up behind her, “I can get to organizing a pursuit party.”

Azula nodded.

“Do so. I want it to be small enough that we won’t be easily detected when we are in pursuit. But make no mistake, I don’t want—“

“Princess Azula!!”

At a shout from across the courtyard, the three of them turned to see a high ranking soldier running up to them. He had scorch marks on his armor and seemed to be limping slightly, but he nevertheless dipped into a deep bow as he stopped ahead of them.

“You highness, the prisoners are mostly rounded up and are being returned to their cells. The warden has been retrieved and has been found to be unharmed: he is taking the gondola back now. The extra divisions made restoring order relatively easy.”

Azula regarded him and smirked with satisfaction. “I would expect no less of my father’s handpicked squads.”

She gestured over her right shoulder at Mai. “I am having the warden’s daughter organize a pursuit party of a small band of escaped prisoners, one of which happens to be my brother. Work with her to establish a team meeting my specifications and I will take command of them immediately once that is finished.”

To her surprise, he didn’t respond in the affirmative immediately and instead, when she looked to him, she saw that his face was one of worry. She clarified, “On the double, soldier.”

“I’m sorry, your highness, it’s just… we can out together a pursuit party of course, but… “

He reached behind him and revealed a scroll that had been tucked away. Handing it to her, he bowed his head.

“It’s just that the Fire Lord has requested you return to the capital at once.”

Not daring to believe it, Azula tore open the scroll and read it over once, then again, and then again. But there was no mistaking the commanding verbiage her father had sent her. Whatever his reason, he needed her back at the capital at once, and though her soul was howling at her to hunt down the Avatar once and for all, this had to come first. It wasn’t until Mai spoke up that she realized she had been standing there shaking angrily for quite a long moment.

“We’ll accompany her highness back to the capital. Do you still have the Scorcher Division on standby?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Have them take the lead on this. We’ll depart as soon as the princess’s airship is ready.”

The soldier bowed low again and strode away quickly to relay the orders. Mai looked after him, an annoyed tone in her voice. “I hate when these assholes call me, ‘ma’am’.”

Ty Lee nuzzled up beside her, digging her elbow in Mai’s side.

“That’s what you get for looking like an old lady so young.”

She dodged a swipe from Mai and then slowly slid up to Azula.

“Hey, ‘Zula? Are you okay?”

It took Azula a few seconds more to ensure she would be able to speak in a level tone. “Of course. I’ll meet you two on the airship once I’ve spoken with the warden.”

She pretended not to see Mai and Ty Lee exchange concerned looks before the two of them departed for the airship. Azula waited until they were gone before igniting the scroll that had informed her of her summons home. It was quickly consumed in a sapphire blaze and she crushed the remaining ashes in a fist before striding briskly towards the prison tower, loudly shouting a pair of guards out of her way.

* * *

“They’re back, they’re back!!”

Aang shouted the words as he zipped by overhead on his glider, extenuating his good mood by doing a pair of tight loops around the pillars that made up the camp. Katara felt a flood of emotions wash through her veins as she leapt to her feet, hardly daring to believe it. It wasn’t until Toph rushed by her and landed a stinging punch in her ribs that she finally moved and started with the rest of the group towards where she could see an airship coming in to land on a piece of the temple jutting out from the side of the mountain.

“Ouch, Toph!!”

The blind earthbender waved a hand over her shoulder as her bare feet rushed her towards everyone’s destination. “Sorry, Katara, but you were the only one not moving for some reason!! Just reminding you that your brother is back and still alive and not dead and all that!!”

Allowing herself to laugh at Toph’s bizarre sense of humor and ways of showing affection, Katara followed her friend and the others up the steps. Coming in to land next to her and join her in the rush to greet Sokka and the rest, Aang looked over at her with a wildly happy look.

“You were right, Katara. I just had to trust them.”

She returned his smile and pulled him into a brief bearhug. “You can still hit Sokka if you want, I think I still might myself.”

Aang laughed, a sound that never failed to make her heart swell. “Don’t go too hard on him, he’s probably had a long couple days.”

On the constructed plateau that had left by airbenders long since passed, Katara came to a halt with the rest of her companions. Haru looked amazed, and Katara realized this was likely his first time getting a good look at an airship.

“I can’t believe that thing can fly!”

Toph leaned over and gave Aang a similar punch she had just bestowed on Aang, “Hey, I can’t believe this doofus can fly either, but stranger things have happened.”

The airship touched down and the large lower basket opened. A collection of people exited the massive flying vehicle, but Katara only had eyes for two people. Pushing past her friends, she raced to Sokka and her father, half-blinded by tears and leapt into their arms. They hugged her back with similar intensity and Katara found herself wishing she could feel this way forever. The relief and love racing through her heart were enough to send the tears flowing freely, but she found time to mutter with a voice that cracked, “Don’t think you’re out of the woods yet, Sokka.”

Her brother laughed. “How did I see that coming.”

Her father kissed the top of her head and pulled away, a wide and joyous smile spread across his face. “Sokka has quite the ingenuity about him. And certainly some truly hardheaded stubbornness.”

He reached out and pinched Katara’s cheek.

“I think you might be rubbing off on him.”

“Oh, stop it, dad,” Katara grinned as she pushed his arm aside playfully.

As she clung to her family, Katara slowly found herself becoming aware of the rest of the passengers that had traveled back with Sokka and her father. She was thrilled to see Suki again who didn’t look that much the worse for wear being stuck in prison for a great many weeks. Wrapping her arms around the warrior, she received assurances that Sokka had been the utmost gentleman whilst springing her from prison, taking out guards and all around making a mess of Boiling Rock. It was then Katara gave Sokka the first slap on the arm as she was reminded of the danger he had been in, before pulling him into another tight hug.

“Girls… “ she heard him mutter as she turned back to the rest of the group.

She also surprised herself by feeling great relief in seeing Zuko again and that same surprise was echoed on his face as she pulled him into a hug of his own. She felt heartened to see him smiling as he gave Aang a rough hug, but there was a very distant look in his eyes, as though something were eating at him.

Chit Sang was a new face, and one that Katara had to practically crane her head upwards when introduced. He was surely nice enough, but she was glad he was on their side; his size practically made her think that the plateau was about to drop away at his added weight alone.

“Ah, and last but not least,” Sokka intoned as he looked past Chit Sang, “we have… hehe, I actually think I didn’t catch your name, fellow prisoner?”

Chit Sang walked to the side to join the rest of the group and Katara saw who her brother had been addressing.

She couldn’t help herself at being briefly struck by how attractive the newcomer was. He was younger, likely near her own age, though his face reflected a maturity of someone who had seen his fair share of hardship, something she often saw in her own reflection. Dark eyes and with an ever-present calm expression, he regarded them all flatly, and Katara found herself feeling naked under his gaze, rather as though he were sizing them all up like prey. His garb too was curious, as it was hardly something that a prisoner might wear and it didn’t remotely match the uniforms worn by Chit Sang, Suki, Zuko and her father. The high collared shirt, the blue cloth around his waist and the lavender rope belt all struck her as particularly foreign, at least in regards to any of the garb she knew to be worn traditionally by any of the four nations.

Katara noticed that he had turned his attention to a carving of a map on the wall that sported the majority of the relevant temples all across the Four Nations, as well as the nation capitals. He spoke to Sokka without turning away from the map as though intent on committing it to memory.

“You mentioned you had food.”

This was all he said, with a mature, low tone to match his look. Sokka’s eyes widened as though he hadn’t just been rather ignored. “Oh yeah! Can someone get him a bag of grub?”

Barely moving, Toph stomped her foot on the ground. A long strip of earth rose up between them and their camp a few dozen yards away, morphing into a slide of sorts that sloped downwards towards their camp before rising up with all the fluidity of a snake, sending a package of food gliding down its length to drop at Sokka’s feet. The earth then dropped back down into the temple itself and despite the dust that had been kicked up, it was though it had never moved at all.

Sokka bent down, picked up the food and handed it to the stranger who accepted the satchel after a moment and slinging it over his shoulder. Katara noticed that his eyes never left Toph the entire time since she had displayed her earthbending and she found herself inching protectively between the two of them.

Smiling widely at the newcomer, Sokka spoke for him, “This guy is the reason we were able to make it out of there in one piece! I… “

He paused for a moment, looking actually rather displeased about something.

“… I don’t know how we would have made it out without him. Azula, Mai and Ty Lee showed up at the prison just as the riot kicked off that we used as cover to escape. If all three of them had tried to stop us, I don’t know what we would have been able to do.”

Katara cocked her head at him. “But?”

Sokka’s smile returned, “But, when this guy showed up, Azula and Mai went after him instead of us. From there, we were able to hold off Ty Lee until he shows up again. She goes to try and take him out and I got a lucky shot on her with my boomerang… “

Suki slid up alongside him and interlaced her fingers with his. “It was hardly luck. Best throw I’ve ever seen.” Sokka’s cheeks reddened before he continued with a stutter.

“But, uh… yeah, but I tagged her with the ol’ boomerang and that took her out long enough for us to get away.”

He looked at the stranger with a grateful smile.

“We really owe it all to you, friend.”

The stranger said nothing more and simply stared at Sokka passively, who bit his upper lip and rocked on his heels awkwardly. After the unpleasant bout of silence that lasted for a brutal few, long seconds, the stranger walked towards them; Haru and Aang moved out of his way as he started towards the path that led up the temple and back towards solid ground. Sokka took several steps after him, looking discouraged as he started up the stairs on the right that would take him out of the temple.

“Wait! I still had things I wanted to ask you!”

Stopping, the stranger tilted his head a few inches to the left to reply without turning around.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any information that you would find prudent or useful. I can tell you the truth as best I know it; I woke up in the depths of that prison before I was able to escape during the riot. I don’t remember hardly anything of my life before then, as though something took my memory. I’m not some rebel like you all, I have one commitment and it is finding someone who might be able to help me find myself again.”

He paused before adding.

“My name is Sasuke. Though I doubt that does you any good.”

Looking back forward, he started on again leaving the group behind him in silence. Katara found herself rather relieved to be watching him leave. The vibes he had been giving off were mysterious and worrisome, and there was a part of her that had been wanting to demand that he leave.

She found herself jolted back to reality as Aang bounced past her, running after the newcomer with his usual energy. Katara reached after him as he passed her, hissing angrily.

“Aang, wait!”

Either not hearing her, or choosing to ignore her, Aang ran up alongside Sasuke and gave him a large, friendly smile.

“It’s great to meet you, Sasuke! Thanks for helping my friends.”

Sasuke stopped walking again and his entire body language suggested he was fighting back some level of impatience. When he didn’t reply, Aang continued on.

“I really think it might be best if you stay with us for a while, you know? It’s not a good idea to be walking around the Fire Nation if you don’t even know who you are, let alone much of anything else.”

Replying without looking at Aang, Sasuke adjusted the satchel of food he had slung over his shoulder.

“I’ll make my own way, thanks anyway.”

Aang persisted jovially.

“Oh, come on! If you were locked up, then that must mean the Fire Nation has it out for you for one reason or another, and that means we’re on the same side!”

“I’m on no one’s side, kid.”

Face scrunching up as though deciding whether or not to take offense at the “kid” remark, Aang seemed to choose to blow it off and instead forged on against the brick wall that was Sasuke.

“Well, we’d love to have you on ours! Maybe we can help you find yourself, wherever you left him!”

Toph, Sokka and the Duke all chuckled at the joke, but Sasuke seemed to tense up and Katara gently eased her hand towards her water vial. Aang extended a hand towards him.

“I’m Aang!”

Sasuke didn’t move, nor look at him and Aang gave a long sigh, though his smile remained. “Look, I can tell you’re not one for making friends or really just talking in general. But I have to be honest with you, I really need all the help I can get right now. If you were really able to fight Azula _and_ Mai at the same time and come away on top, we need that kind of power on our side.”

He looked back to the rest of them as if for encouragement; Katara tried to make a motion to indicate he move away from Sasuke, but he missed it.

“It’s too dangerous for you to be out there on your own, even if you’re really strong! And when we take down the Fire Lord, I promise we’ll be able to help you figure out your memory full time! It’ll be hard enough trying to solve that one your own and with the Four Nations at war. And we even have a flying bison!”

There was another pause before Sasuke replied flatly, genuinely sounding like a parent trying to explain terribly simple to a child.

“Aang, I appreciate what you’re saying, but I don’t have time to go attempting half-baked coups against Fire Lords, not when I already know who has the best chance of beating him. So thanks, but no thanks.”

And he continued his walk up the stairs again. Aang looked at the ground, furrowing his brow.

“Dang, I really though the flying bison line would work.”

Something Sasuke had said had stuck with Katara, however, and she called after him.

“You said you know who has the best chance of taking down the Fire Lord?”

He nodded without ceasing to walk. Zuko stepped up next to Katara and added after him.

“Who, then?”

Sasuke replied flatly, “The Avatar. I’m going to find him and help him defeat the Fire Lord.”

Katara found herself exchanging glances with Aang, Sokka, Zuko and just about everyone else standing in their group. Did he truly not know a thing about the state of the world? But before she could stop him, Aang had called out in a triumphant tone.

“Well, you happen to be in luck! We’ve got him on our team.”

This caused Sasuke to stop walking and he turned to give Aang a challenging look.

“Oh? And where might he be?”

Katara’s heart skipped a beat as she implored Aang not to answer, but of course, he did.

“You’re looking at him!”

He put his hands on his hips and gave Sasuke a last great big smile. Sasuke stared at him for a long time and Katara waited for him to either laugh off the claim or to simply turn around and continue on his way out.

Moving so fast, it was as though he had been standing there the entire time, Sasuke was on top of Aang and had lifted him off the ground by the collar of his shirt. Katara moved as quickly as she could and within a second, several thin spears of ice were pointed at Sasuke’s head. Zuko whipped up several flaming coils around Sasuke’s throat and ankles and Toph threw up a hammer of stone that hovered just behind Sasuke’s back. The three of them stood tense with their arms outstretched, ready to bring their elements crashing down on Sasuke, but he hadn’t seemed to notice their display. His eyes were fixed on Aang’s as he spoke in a low, final tone.

“You… are the Avatar.”

Aang was still smiling though he had picked up much more on the fire, ice and earth that were all poised to turn Sasuke into a smear on the temple floor and was looking markedly more nervous.

“Hehe, yeah, that’s me.”

“You’re the great warrior who I was told will be the one to defeat the Fire Lord.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call myself a “great warrior” per say, but I guess—”

Sasuke released Aang who dropped several inches to step back from him; he turned towards Katara and the others, waving his hands desperately.

“Guys, it’s all good! Let him go!”

Toph spoke for all of them, “I’m not so sure about that, twinkle-toes. I’m not exactly digging how this guy feels.”

Katara jerked her chin at Aang without taking her eyes off Sasuke. “Step away from him, Aang.”

Turning his head as much as he could with Zuko’s fire circling his throat, Sasuke fixed his eyes directly on Katara and she felt a chill run up her spine.

“Get… “

He suddenly was no longer standing where she had last seen him and a splash of water dropped down onto the stairs where his body had been just a second before.

“… that crap out of my face.”

Katara gave a yell as she spun to see that he was now somehow standing behind them, but she collected herself quickly. Together with Zuko and Toph, they directed their powers towards him; Zuko’s fire reached him first, but with a quick hand motion from Sasuke, the fire was reduced to a puff of smoke. Katara’s spears of ice reached him next, aimed at his head and joints, but he motioned again and the ice burst into a cold spray of wind that rushed gently past him. Then, Toph’s great hammer of earth rose up and swung down towards his head, but his hand made two quick symbols and then shot up, pointer and middle finger outstretched. As soon as they touched the earth, it blew apart into rubble, tossed every direction, but missing Sasuke entirely.

Giving a yell of frustration, Katara gathered up her energy and drew from the basin beneath them. All at once, a great wave had gathered all around Sasuke, ready to rush in and crush him beneath its weight. She heard herself call out as the roar of the water swirled around him.

“Guys, get ready!!”

But no earth or fire or air coalesced into an offensive state and she shouted again.

“Guys, come one, if we—“

Toph’s small hand reached out then and took her by the wrist. Looking down, Katara saw that the girl’s face was alight with an expression she had never seen before: awe. Beside her, Zuko’s eyes were wide and his fists were tightly clenched. It was then, that Aang walked alongside her, utter disbelief on his face.

“Katara… he’s… like me.”

And as the realization struck her, Katara lost grip on the water and it fell down around the precipice that Sasuke stood on down into the massive canyon. Her knees wobbled and she saw Sasuke staring at them with intensity and readiness, but now with a fair bit of confusion.

Aang whispered, his voice breaking with astoundment.

“He can bend more than one element.”

* * *

On the helm of her airship, Azula tried to reason out her infuriation. She had no doubt that Mai and Ty Lee were watching her from one of the bridge’s windows, keeping a watchful eye on her state of being, but she couldn’t be bothered to care what they thought right then.

_Father… why?_

It hardly made sense, why he would be calling her back, after being the one to send her to Boiling Rock in the first place. The Avatar was close, and Azula could have been the one to finally bring him in. But now here she was being summoned home to be denied victory again.

It was hours before she realized that this wasn’t why she was so agitated.

The words that had been written on the scroll echoed mercilessly in her head.

_As my loyal servant, I must ask that you return to me in the capital at once._

Servant. Servant, he had written. Of course, she was his to command as he wanted, to do with what he pleased, but… would it have been so difficult for him to acknowledge her as more than a tool? She wasn’t Zuko or Iroh, some embarrassment to the family; quite the contrary, she had led many a military success, and had never left her father’s good graces.

_So why… why is it so much to ask to be recognized as such?_

Shaking herself free of her thoughts, Azula cursed her own foolishness. She was making this into a far bigger deal than it needed to be. Of course her father appreciated her more than his writing might indicate, and it wasn’t her place to question it regardless. She would go to him, kneel at his feet and ask for his bidding.

It was her purpose after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**_AN:_ ** **_To clarify a quick couple things, I intend to keep chapters about 10k words maybe one or two thousand less on occasion, but as long as I have the time to write as much as I’ve been able to, I want to keep chunking them out._ **

**_Yes, a couple romances will be pursued, though I’d rather not say for sure who’s going to be getting close with whom just yet._ **

**_And yes, Sasuke has been a little neutered purely by consequence of not wanting him to be as invincible as he might be otherwise. The energy possessed by the people in the Avatar-verse conflicts with his chakra, making it more difficult for him to perform certain actions and jutsus. For the moment, anyway. And this is also post EMS and pre Rinnegan._ **

**_Much love to you guys._ **

** Chapter 3: Gathering Storm **

Staring out over his kingdom from the highest point of his palace, Fire Lord Ozai looked down at every single piece of the capital with spiteful eyes. What of it he wouldn’t trade to have this over and done with.

Since taking the title of Fire Lord and continuing his family’s conquest of the world’s nations, he had been forced to make sacrifices, a great many of them, to ensure that peace could finally be forced and satisfied. His distancing from his own humanity had been beneficial in keeping emotion from presenting itself as a stark weakness that he had seen rule over the decisions of many an unsuccessful leader.

But this… this was something he still didn’t know if he could do.

The ritual had been clear in its requirements no matter how many translators he had brought on and threatened harsh punishment on for reading incorrectly, but they had all stammered the same inescapable truth.

_Grandfather… I don’t know if I have the strength._

This sentiment rotted in his head miserably. Ozai already had prepared himself for what was to come and he was ready to face whatever pain this might bring, if the resulting consequences were as overwhelmingly advantageous as they promised to be. He would do what he must, to do what even his own heartless father had apparently warned away as being too steep a cost. Azulon had locked away this secret, clearly confident that the sheer power Sozin’s Comet granted on its own would be enough to secure victory for the Fire Nation.

But Ozai was no longer sure of this. The Avatar had managed to survive to this point, and it had already been established that invasion of the Fire Nation from a joint effort was possible. And above all else, the very idea of the Avatar State was enough to instill apprehension on its own.

Ozai had heard from his both his spies and from his scholars how devastating this transformation could be. In this form, the Avatar would be quite literally unstoppable, even with the advent of Sozin’s Comet drawing near. If the Fire Lord made his move on that day, the Avatar State would likely meet him in the flesh, and then decades upon decades of planning would have been for naught.

And so it came down to this.

A way to use Sozin’s Comet in an entirely new sense, a method that may very well allow Ozai the ability to suppress the Avatar State. And all it required was one last sacrifice, one last cost that could guarantee ultimate success. The price was so simple, it was rather unbelievable.

And part of Ozai wished that he indeed _couldn’t_ believe it.

Behind him, a servant approached and bowed deeply, “Your highness, Princess Azula’s airship has been confirmed on approach. Our estimates place her arrival at about dusk.”

Ozai dismissed the update with a wave and the servant retreated, leaving the Fire Lord to be alone again with his thoughts. The morning sun beat down on him like the molten hands of some wicked clock, reminding him of what was to come.

He stood atop his tower for well over another hour before turning to reenter his palace, leaving all doubt, and all trepidation behind him. As he descended the stairs, he once again through off the invisible shroud that was his humanity, that loathsome and heavy burden that did nothing but cause trouble to those in power. His own self-assurance blossomed with every step and he found himself smiling before he knew it. After all, there could be nothing of more value then the greater good.

* * *

Sasuke sat around the fire that made up the center of the Avatar’s camp, occasionally dipping into the meal that had been provided for him while he tried to ignore the endless awed expressions that were directed his way. Katara, Toph and Zuko had all ceased in attacking him for the reason he now understood as they believed him to be some sort of modern miracle, and he had been ushered down to their camp to try and straighten out some likely very heavy notions. Sasuke had cast the briefest genjutsu on Aang and found that the kid was telling the truth, and since he now had somehow been led right to the person he was expecting to take weeks trying to find, he knew he had no reason to deny this conversation. Trust was going to be a very fickle thing in this new world, but he had to start somewhere.

He could have done without their constant staring though; with just under a dozen people fixing him with hardly blinking expressions, he wouldn’t deny feeling unnerved. 

“So, let me get this straight,” he said slowly, after taking another bite of his supper, “you’re all ready to tear my head off for getting rough with Aang, and after I shut down a few of your attacks, you’re no longer interested in turning me into a bloody stain.”

Toph, who hadn’t uncrossed her arms since they sat down, snorted and blew some strands of hair out of her face.

“Don’t think I haven’t quite yet disqualified that option, freak.”

Katara’s expression hadn’t changed in the slightest from when she was attacking him, to sitting across from him now. At any moment, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she instigated a rematch, but when she spoke there was a reserved calm in her voice.

“No one has been able to bend more than a single element for as long as recorded history has been taken down, save for the Avatar. You just showed us something that everyone on the planet would call an impossibility.”

Popping a slice of cheese into his mouth, Sasuke held up a hand. “I need someone to explain this ‘bending’ to me.”

As he saw incredulous looks passed amongst the small group, he realized that what he had done would likely have been the equivalent of performing a great fireball jutsu from where he was from and then promptly asking what a jutsu was.

_Where I’m from… where AM I from?_

His aggravation began to resurface and he shook it aside, as he clarified, “Where I come from, it’s not called that, and I need to know as much as I can about the energy flow you possess in this universe. What allows for this ‘bending’ as well as what can be done with it?”

Katara looked around as if to see if anyone was willing to provide an appropriate answer, but as she opened her mouth to likely delve into an explanation, her father beat her to the punch; Sasuke noticed the slight aggravation that seemed to pass over her face as he did so.

“Bending of the elements is an ability that is inherited by people of the Four Nations. Some are born without this gift, but the ones who are so lucky find that they are capable of harnessing one of the four elements to their will. Skill and efficiency depend on experience, practice and the energy one is able and willing to exert. For example, if Toph here were wanting to bend a slab of earth to try and smack you clean off this temple, it would be to her like swatting a fly, given her overall ability and experience.”

Cracking her knuckles like lightning, Toph grinned, “Gladly.”

Sparing a consternated look at the girl, Hakoda continued, “But if she were to try and cave in this entire section of the temple, it would put a great strain on her and regardless of whether or not she was able to, she would be left exhausted afterwards.”

Toph’s smile was wiped off her face and she muttered something about “show you exhausted”. Zuko spoke up for the first time since they had ventured to steal an airship.

“Each of the four elements are classified to each one of the four nations. If you’re born of Fire Nation blood and are a bender, you will be able to harness fire. Same idea for the other three.”

Sasuke ran his eyes carefully over each of them in turn, “And no one, save for this Avatar, can channel any more than one of these bending techniques.”

Aang nodded at him before raising a hand, palm up. A small bit of water from Chit Sang’s glass rose up alongside some dirt from beneath their feet. Both elements rose to swirl above Aang’s hand, a sphere of air whirling around them and lastly, a small orb of fire appeared in the very center of the spectacle. For a moment, earth, water, air and fire hung in a suspended state, dancing amongst one another before the fire puffed out, the air flow ceased and the water and dirt fell back to earth. Looking down at the puddle that had collected at his feet as a result of his little show, Aang looked terribly lonely for a moment.

“My people were all wiped out when the Fire Nation learned that the Avatar had been reincarnated as an airbender.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, “Reincarnated.”

Seeming to remember where he was, Aang’s miserable expression disappeared and he cleared his throat. Sasuke caught Katara looking at him with a deeply sympathetic look on her face as he continued.

“Yeah, when the an Avatar passes on, the essence of the Avatar is reincarnated in another bender. This time, it just happened to be me.”

His anguished expression returned. “I found out who I was and what I was going to have to do, and it was too much for me. I ran away with Appa… “

“Appa?” Sasuke asked. Sokka gesticulated with his hands to charade something large and flying.

“The flying bison we mentioned.”

Thoroughly bemused by the thought of a flying bison, Sasuke opted to put this aside for the moment.

“Ah.” He gestured at Aang who carried on.

“… we got caught in a storm and crashed in the ocean. We probably would have died, but I was able to freeze us and it a hundred years before I woke up and found I was the last airbender.”

This was something Sasuke had to raise a hand at.

“I’m sorry; a hundred years?”

Sokka dropped a hand on Aang’s shoulder and shook him in a rough, but friendly way. “Yep, me and my sister found him on accident while we were fishing one day. And now, almost a year later, here we are, at the climax of perhaps the most destructive war ever fought.”

He gave a laugh that sounded almost manic before trailing off and narrowing his eyes at Sasuke. The hand that had been on Aang’s shoulder rose up to point accusingly.

“Alright, mister mystery, time for you to give some answers of your own. You come walking in here and just show that you can bend not one, not two, but _three_ elements and—”

Pulling from his jagged memory bank of techniques, Sasuke raised a hand in the same fashion Aang had. Focusing a small portion of his chakra, he generated a sphere of air in his palm that swirled and howled quietly before gently flicking the Rasengan at the wall behind the group where it impacted the stone heavily, leaving a small crater in its wake. Sasuke somehow knew that the Rasengan he had just utilized was someone else’s technique and his employment of it was nothing more than a copy, but at the redoubled expressions of shock directed his way, he figured his point had been made.

Sokka practically had to close his mouth which had fallen open to add in a voice of sheer disbelief, “Okay. Four elements.”

Zuko was eying Sasuke with an expression of pure distrust. “Who are you really?”

Feeling a tinge of impatience, Sasuke replied bluntly, “If I knew, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

He decided to relate the other piece of the story he had left out of the equation. It was entirely possible they would all consider him a lunatic for saying it, but he knew what he had seen.

“Just before I broke out of my holding level, I was visited by I guess what you could call a spirit.”

Katara raised her eyebrows at him, a telling expression of what she thought.

“A spirit.”

He nodded. “Tall, blue and transparent, long white hair and beard.” He noticed Aang perk up at the description.

“He told me that he wasn’t sure how he was able to commune with me, but that my search for answers would become much more clear if I found the Avatar and aided him in his journey. He told me that if the Fire Lord was defeated, I would be able to pursue my quest freely.”

Aang leaned towards him, looking as though Sasuke had just said something vitally important. “This old man… did he have an ornamental hairpiece?”

Sasuke nodded. Aang’s eyes began to widen. “And was he wearing ceremonial robes?”

“I suppose so.”

Aang got to his feet so quickly, he nearly tipped Sokka off his seat, but with a flick of Toph’s finger, a stone pillar rose from the ground to right the unbalanced young man.

“That must have been Avatar Roku!!”

“I thought you just said the Avatar could only be one person at a time.”

Seeming to be too excited by this news to stand still, Aang began to pace back and forth in front of the fire. “I know, that’s true, but the spirits of the Avatars of old have communed with me before. When I enter the spirit world, I’m able to talk with them, hold whole conversations.”

He appeared to realize something and looked at Sasuke as though something had been spoiled for him.

“How were you able to talk to him?”

Sasuke shrugged and leaned back. “Trust me, he did most of the talking and it wasn’t for very long. But he was clear to mention he wasn’t sure how it was possible that I was able to see him. It was this Avatar Roku who reminded me of my name.”

The young earthbender known as Haru looked hesitant to speak, but asked anyway. “What… what _do_ you remember?”

Wishing terribly that he could give a better answer, both to them and himself, Sasuke looked at the ground. “Very little. Things come and go like names and faces, but they are there and gone like a blink of an eye. The only things that seem to be solidly retained are techniques, jutsu, as I know them to be.”

He raised his hand again and summoned Chidori; lightning crackled around his hand and wrist violently and several members of the group recoiled before he banished the jutsu.

“I remember these techniques and how to use them, but I’ve found that they seem to wear on he greater then they did… wherever I was before. I don’t remember how exactly I know this, but when I fought Azula and Mai, using jutsu seemed to wear me down more than they should have.”

Aang gave him a hopeful shrug. “Maybe that’ll come back to you, like I’m sure your memories will.”

Sasuke laced his fingers and rested his face against them, muttering sullenly, “They’d better.”

There was a pause before Suki leaned in to add a thought of her own. “You seemed to be pretty handsy with the warden back in the gondola, like you thought he knew something. Was anything he said indicative of some potential answers?”

Thankful for the reminder, Sasuke closed his eyes, trying hard to think.

“There was… when I was paralyzed and confined, he brought a new penal officer to show me off to. He said several things that he claimed to all be rumor passed along the soldiers from the Fire Nation capital all the way to the prison, but I suppose it happens to be my best lead.”

Hakoda brought a hand up to stroke his chin thoughtfully. “And what exactly did he say? Anything that seemed even the slightest bit familiar?”

Eyes still closed, Sasuke drove his fingers into his temples. “Yes. I don’t know how, but he mentioned that I had stepped into this world from within Sozin’s Temple near the capital, directly in the presence of the Fire Lord.”

He heard several surprised inhales and some soft murmuring before Zuko snapped, “You appeared to my father?! And he didn’t kill you?!”

Several blurry images and words were beginning to resonate in his head, as he quietly replied.

“I remember nearly nothing of it at all, but the warden relayed that he believed I was of enough interest to send to the prison rather than having killed. It was… “

Sasuke began to remember something in sequence very vaguely. “I remember seeming to almost be looking in at the temple through a glass wall, like I was there, but not. I could… I could see who must have been the Fire Lord talking with… some priests, or something who said—”

_“… if you are certain, your highness. If you truly intend to perform the Ritual of Sozin’s Rites, we will confer with the other scholars and ensure the steps are as we believe them to be. They are few, but if… your highness, behind you!!”_

Sasuke snapped his eyes open as his memory became a rush of heat and flame overtook everything else. “Ritual of Sozin’s Rites. That’s all I remember before I awoke in the prison. Someone was telling the Fire Lord about this ritual and how they were going to make sure its steps were accurate.”

No one seemed to react to these words with any particular emotion and Sasuke believed that perhaps this information was hardly anything of real consequence before Zuko rose jerkily to his feet. Katara looked at him inquisitively. “Zuko, what is it?”

Zuko’s face had paled badly and he looked rather as though he were about to be sick. He turned to look at Haru with somewhat wild eyes.

“You said there was a library here? With historical practices of all Four Nations?”

Haru nodded, looking perplexed by the expression Zuko was giving him.

“Yeah, if you go down that set of stairs, it’s down the fourth hall on the right and then up that set of stairs. I think the traditions and practices section was on left section… ?”

Without a reply, Zuko had already taken off in the direction he had been pointed towards; everyone watched him run as though he had the entire world chasing him as he disappeared into the temple. Toph turned her head in the direction he had run off in, “Anyone know what’s up with him?”

Katara continued to stare at the doorway Zuko had disappeared into with a look of concern.

“I don’t know… but if the Fire Lord is up to something else beyond just using the power of Sozin’s Comet… that might not bode well.”

Sokka rubbed his face tiredly. “Yeah, like we weren’t already at a huge disadvantage. Less than two weeks to go, and we’re still in a hole and Aang hasn’t even mastered firebending yet.”

Pushing aside his own frustration at not being able to remember more than a single chunk of dialogue, Sasuke sighed and sat up straight.

“Alright. So what’s the plan?”

Attention returned to him and Aang asked, “Plan?”

Sasuke nodded. “Yeah, plan. I’ve been told my best course of action is to help you throw down this Fire Lord, and I intend to do so.”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group and Sasuke began to realize that even if he had stumbled across the very person he had wanted to meet, his second goal was starting to feel a little less than achievable.

* * *

“What do you think this is about?”

Mai looked over at Ty Lee who had been staring out at Azula alongside her over the past hour as midday had come. She wouldn’t have denied that she had looked over to the princess a fair few times, but Ty Lee had been watching her as observantly as a hawk.

Mai feigned a lack of interest as she examined her fingernails, “Who knows? Her father might have had something particularly urgent come up that he needed Azula for.”

Fingers roped tightly around the handrail in front of the large window, Ty Lee continued looking out the window nervously.

“More important than sending her after the Avatar? He knows she’s the one with the best chance of success, and he trusts her more than any of his generals or operatives.”

Mai sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you other than that it has to be pretty important.”

She resumed her act of appearing entirely uninterested in the proceedings before she noticed that Ty Lee was now looking resolutely at her.

“What happened at the prison?”

Turning to look at her friend, Mai knew that even her mastery of apathy wouldn’t get her out of this line of questioning, even as she asked pointlessly, “What do you mean?”

Ty Lee gave her an aggravated look.

“Don’t bullshit me, Mai. I know the both of you have done a good job of covering it up since it happened, but the looks on your faces when I showed up are something I’ll never forget.”

When Mai didn’t answer, Ty Lee scooted along the railing and grabbed her wrist gently. Mai looked over to see her friend’s eyes were pleading. “Please. That guy did something to you both. I don’t think there’s anyone on the planet save for the Fire Lord himself that you two couldn’t take down together. But not only does he slide past you both and get to me, he leaves you two looking like you’d seen ghosts.”

Turning around to look out at where Azula had been standing poker-straight for the past hour, Mai sighed. It was something she had been spending a lot of time thinking from the moment she had awoken from it, though always in the back of her mind, as though calling it forward would be too damaging to her psyche. But Ty Lee deserved her honesty, and chances are, she wouldn’t get a straight reply from Azula.

“I’m genuinely not sure. He must have got us with some drug, some toxin that made us hallucinate and knocked us out. I don’t know about Azula, but I saw… things. They were too real, too vivid to be a dream though, I truly can’t describe to you what it was like; I really thought they were happening until I woke up next to Azula and realized they had all been in my head.”

Ty Lee inched closer still. “What things did you see?”

Mai tried to deflect. “Bad things.”

“Come on, Mai. What did you see?”

Tilting her head back to look at the roof of the front cabin of the airship, Mai steeled herself. She had thought of them once already when they had first boarded their vessel and had locked herself in her room for a few minutes to cry and not be seen. She didn’t want to look weak in front of anyone, especially not Ty Lee or Azula, and she convinced herself that she wouldn’t cry now.

“I saw you. Azula. Zuko. My family. You were all… being tortured. Badly. I couldn’t do anything except sit there and watch. I tried begging with whoever was doing it, but there was no one to plead with, nobody but that guy, but he was standing next to me, not actually doing any of it. Every whip that cracked, every hot poker that was jabbed, there was never any real figure doing it, just masses of shadow whose faces I couldn’t see. I went to the prisoner then, I went on my knees and I cried and offered him anything if he would just _stop this_ and leave you all alone, but he just stared at me with those damned eyes, I swear they were red and black, with shapes inside them, and I couldn’t look away, I just—”

“Hey, hey, Mai. It’s okay.”

As she felt Ty Lee’s hand wrap around her shoulder, Mai realized that despite herself, she had begun to ramp up to talk in an almost frenzied panic almost out of her control. There were no tears fortunately, but her brief loss of control were probably enough to indicate how bad she had been rattled. Taking in a deep breath to calm herself, she looked down at her hands which were clutching the railing just as Ty Lee’s had moments ago.

“I’ll never get just how _real_ it was. I know people have been able to concoct some absolutely crazy drugs in the past several decades, but how this was able to create such a vivid scene… it was like he had orchestrated it himself, down to the wire. Everything was placed by him, everything I saw and felt were only consequences of his choices.”

She let her voice dip down in its register as she muttered darkly, “When I see him again, I’m going to make him tell me how he did it. However I have to force him, I’ll know what he did.”

There was a pause as Ty Lee rested her head on Mai’s shoulder who, though she would never admit it, relished the feeling of comfort it gave.

“I doubt Azula told you what she saw when—”

“When what?”

The both of them jumped away from each other as the sharp voice of Azula cut through the cabin that had previously only been occupied by the both of them. She must have walked in unnoticed while they were talking and was now staring at them expectantly, clearly waiting for an answer.

“When I saw what?”

In an act of quick thinking that surprised Mai, Ty Lee shrugged and finished, “… when you looked at the summons from your father. It looked like there was more to it then the soldier said.”

Narrowing her eyes, Azula frowned.

“There was nothing more then his demands I return to the capital at once. It’s not anyone’s place, not mine, nor either of yours, to question why he would request my presence.”

She marched towards the door that would lead towards the captain’s quarters and wrenched open the metal door. Before she stepped through, she paused a moment and looked back with intense eyes.

“And I’d rather you two wouldn’t theorize behind my back when it isn’t your place to do so.”

The door slammed shut behind her and Ty Lee jumped again; Mai leaned back on the railing, blowing out a sigh of relief.

“Not bad.”

Ty Lee shrugged again and turned to look back out towards the open blue sky overshadowed by their airship’s great mass.

“It’s actually pretty easy, especially when everyone just assumes you’re an airhead who couldn’t even comprehend lying.”

They spent a long several seconds looking out, shoulder to shoulder before Mai added in a low voice, “I don’t know what she saw. Though I imagine if it was a drug or something to make someone see their worst fears or something, it would have its work cut out for it.”

She looked over her shoulder at the doorway Azula had walked through, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart as she wished violently that she was wrong in saying,

“I don’t know if she really has anything she’d be hurt over losing.”

* * *

Katara was the first to see Zuko as he came staggering back over towards the fire looking perhaps worse than when he had left. He stumped weakly over to his seat and dropped down back on it, a heavy and ancient looking book in his hand that he set down beside him. Sokka leaned back and forth in his spot before cocking his head and asking, “Well, what’s the verdict?”

For a moment, Zuko only shook his head, looking truly lost before he nudged the book with his toe. Katara couldn’t have imagined him looking any more defeated.

“When Sasuke mentioned a ‘Ritual of Sozin’s Rites,’ I had to know for sure.”

He rested his head in his hands, looking as though he were trying very hard to come to terms with something.

“When I was younger, I learned about a bunch of rituals and practices that my great-grandfather and those before him had instilled as last resorts, final techniques to fall back on if all else failed. There was one like the ‘Burning Interlude,’ which supposedly create a giant firestorm at the cost of many sacrificed lives, or the ‘Blackened’ something, that was supposed to turn the oceans to fire or something like that…”

Sokka shook his head in a sharp rattling movement while holding up his hands.

“Whoa, whoa, I’m sorry. What?!”

Zuko nodded weakly.

“I know, they sound crazy. And none of them were tried to my knowledge at least from Sozin onward. There was this sense that not only were they too radical, but that they wouldn’t work anyway. But when I heard that name… “

He sighed.

“I knew I had heard it before. And I knew that this temple, if it had a documentation on old traditions of other nations, it might list this one.”

Silence fell before Aang finally asked quietly.

“What’s your dad going to try and do?”

As though unable to summarize himself, Zuko lifted the sizable text onto his lap and opened to a page he had marked.

“Though the particulars of this specific ritual are largely unknown and based purely in Fire Nation text, at the cost of sacrificing a familial bond, a strong firebender might be able to harness power from Sozin's Comet itself, drawing on its strength to procure a powerful and permanent gain in ability.”

He slammed the book shut and showed it angrily off his lap where it hit the ground with a thud. Katara felt her heart begin to gently pound a constant beat as she considered what this could mean; Sokka didn't wait to ponder the same.

“What kind of gain? What does it mean by ‘familial bond'?”

Giving a short cry of distress, Zuko got to his feet and walked briskly away. Katara watched him ascend the steps where the airship had landed and he leaned against the pillar that overlooked the canyon, head bowed. Joining the collective in watching the agonized young man, Katara finally looked to her father who gave her a firm nod. Standing herself, Katara walked over to the large set of stairs and began to ascend them. She felt, more than saw, Aang, Sokka and Toph following close behind her.

When the reached the plateau, Katara did a double take as she saw Zuko's shoulders heaving gently. She never would have imagined him breaking down quite like this.

“Hey, Zuko. We won't let him get to you, you know.” Toph's calm tone reminded Katara that she too could speak, and she nodded in consent.

“She's right. We're all here for you. We could even hide you away until after the comet passes.”

Zuko whirled on them and the wet streaks that coursed down his face confirmed what his silent shaking had meant.

“You don't get it! I’m not scared of my father, or what he might do to me! I…”

He choked off and looked away again. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Aang stepped up quietly behind him until he was only a few feet away. As gently as he dared, he put a hand on Zuko's back and Katara felt a warm feeling spreading in her gut.

“Help us to.”

Straightening his back, Zuko seemed to regain control of himself as he asked quietly, “During all your journeying, all your travels, who was the one person other than me who managed to stay just behind you?”

This was an easy question and Katara replied for the good of them all.

“Your sister.”

Zuko nodded bitterly. “That’s right. My perfect sister who could do no wrong in the eyes of my father, who always did everything better than me, who has _always_ been able to track you guys down, and who was right there when we broke out of the prison and came back here.”

Sokka massaged his wrists uncomfortably.

“You lost me.”

Zuko waited a for several seconds before replying.

“All that considered, there's no reason she shouldn’t have descended out of the sky with a fleet of airships, _hours_ ago.”

As this sank in, Aang looked towards the ground. “He's right. Azula should have been here by now.”

Sokka shrugged. “I see that as a win, believe it or not. That psycho flamethrower being elsewhere and not here sounds pretty positive to me.”

Aang slowly turned his head to look at Katara as the pieces clicked together. They exchanged pained looks as it finally settled with Sokka what was likely going to happen.

“Oh man.”

Zuko sniffed a humorless laugh.

“Yeah.”

The five of them shared a long silence as they considered what Ozai was intending to do. Katara found herself breaking the silence, not sure how best to approach the situation, but knowing Zuko needed to hear some kind of… anything, she spoke as gently as she could, “Zuko, I’m sorry.”

He didn’t say anything in reply; then, Sokka being Sokka blundered over words that should have stayed thoughts.

“I mean, she did kind of try to kill us all a bunch of times… and she zapped your uncle… and has completely disavowed you as a brother.”

Toph snapped a punch into his side before he could dive any deeper down a path that shouldn’t have been followed just then. He winced and looked over angrily, but as Katara sent him the best “shut up or I’ll walk over there and pull your tongue out” look she could manage, he caught himself and settled on massaging his ribs.

Zuko hadn’t seemed to take offense at his words, however and he bowed his head in clear indecision.

“I know she’s done wrong by all of us, and maybe she shouldn’t be forgiven for that… but… “

He finally turned to look at them and the agony in his eyes was enough to push Katara over to him and she pulled him into a hug. Zuko choked out the rest into her shoulder as she felt him shake.

“She’s my sister.”

Katara looked over his shoulder at Aang who looked terribly consternated himself, but she could tell his mind was doing gymnastics. He put his hands on his head and shrugged, “Maybe… I don’t know, maybe we can… “

Sokka interrupted then, clearly not reserved any longer about speaking his peace.

“Oh, no! No, no, no! We are not going to try some insane stunt to save his psychopath sister!!”

Aang put up his hands in a sign of surrender. “Sokka, relax! I was just thinking out loud.”

Obviously unsure of how to reply to that, Sokka waved his hand spastically at Aang for a second before adding, “Well, stop it! We do not need this kind of problem right now, not with how little time we have, and not with what’s at stake!”

Katara pulled away from Zuko and he wiped his face on his sleeve. His voice was broken and quiet, but it spoke with a level of resolve that she remembered hearing from him more than once before.

“I don’t want any of you risking yourselves for this… but I have to try.”

At this, Katara found her tongue and moved from a hug to putting her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look into her eyes.

“Zuko, no. That’s not happening.”

He looked at her desperately. “The capital is half the distance between here and Boiling Rock, I could make it in time and warn her… “

Aang came up beside Katara and gave Zuko a pained look.

“She’d never believe you and you would be captured, or killed.”

An angry fire began to grow in his eyes then and he looked to Katara. “So what?! I have to try!! Didn’t I stand beside you when you felt you had no choice in finding the man who killed your mother?! ”

Feeling her throat tighten, Katara was relieved when Aang spoke on her behalf. “That was different. He was just a common farmer that you hunted down on your own accord. This would be a suicide mission, for any one of us.”

Toph walked up quietly, her bare feet making hardly a sound, “We need you here, Zuko. We lose you, we lose the only chance we have of teaching Aang firebending. And there go our chances of taking your darling dad down.”

He flicked his gaze between each of them, looking in a frenzy for any sort of sympathy with his plight. Katara could see him reach the moment where he knew that there was nothing he could say that would convince them and he grit his teeth, and turned his back.

“I can’t give up on her. Father I know has to be defeated, but… you might not believe it, but I know there’s hope in her.”

Katara found it a great relief that Sokka didn’t snort in reply to that. Zuko continued, “She’s sacrificed every piece of herself, of her humanity in the belief that we as a nation have divine right over all, something my grandfather and father tried to instill in both of us since before I can remember. She’s fallen for that dream, and now she’s about to die for it.”

He didn’t turn around, but Katara watched as a tear hit the ground in front of his feet, soaking into it and expanding into a damp spot that glowed in the afternoon sun.

“Can’t you understand that she and my uncle are all I have left? Even if she hates me forever, even if she never comes around… I’ll still fight for her.”

Genuinely amazed by his maturity, but seeing no recourse for the path he wanted to take, Katara lowered her head. A look at her companions told her that she wasn’t alone in her problem. The four of them stood behind Zuko, wishing there was anything they could do to ease his pain, to try and achieve some compromise.

_But there is none._

Clenching her fist, Katara stared at the ground as though demanding that the very dirt itself provide her a solution.

“I’ll go.”

She spun on her heel as a voice that didn’t belong to herself, Sokka, Aang or Toph resounded behind her.

Sasuke was standing at the top of the stairs, leaning against another pillar with his arms crossed, looking as obstinately emotionless as he had since he arrived. Feeling no small amount of indignation, Katara took an angry step in his direction.

“Were you eavesdropping on us?!”

He shrugged. “Just listening.”

Sokka stepped up behind her, looking as angry as Katara felt. “So, eavesdropping.”

He shrugged again and Katara felt her anger begin to bubble even further. “How long were you standing there?!”

Toph kicked the dirt absently, “Since Sokka turned his brain on and realized why this was upsetting Zuko so badly.”

Now Katara whirled on Toph who was looking thoroughly as though this were not that big of a deal.

“He was there that entire time and you didn’t think to say—”

Sasuke took a step towards them. “Don’t get angry at her. Just trying to offer a solution.”

It was a long moment before Katara’s anger subsided enough for her to even remember what that reason was. Behind her, she heard Zuko’s voice rise up, still broken, but inquisitive now.

“You’d do what…?”

Sighing, Sasuke rubbed the handle of his sword absently. “I’ll take a trip over to your dad’s house and either warn your sister away from the highest form of corporal punishment, or force her out of there if I have to.”

Hardly able to believe what she was hearing, Sokka spoke her peace for her, “Oh, yeah? And in what universe do you find it a good idea to risk yourself for a favor to someone you barely know, to save someone who’s done nothing but try and kill you on your only encounter.”

Sasuke’s eyes were unreadable black pits as he replied flatly.

“The only lead I have on recovering who and what I am is to help the Avatar. The Avatar needs to beat the Fire Lord. The Fire Lord only gets beat if, as you say, the Avatar learns firebending on top of the other three forms.”

Inclining his head towards Zuko, he finished, “And if this feckless, emotionally stunted bastard gets himself killed before doing his due diligence and teaching Aang, that sets my own plans back a bit.”

Pacing a few steps back and forth, Sasuke spoke as matter-of-factly as if talking to a group of toddlers who were arguing over a snow fort; Katara felt her disdain for him growing by the minute.

“So, the only way I see it is Zuko is only going to keep his nose out of this business if his sister is given a fighting chance. I’ll go and be that bearer of bad news if you stay put and do your damn job.”

Any other time, Katara would have expected to see Zuko fly off the hinge at a verbal abusing like that, but as she turned to see his reply to this proposal, she saw only pain, and the barest glimmer of hope in his eyes. Sokka took an arrogant step towards Sasuke, crossing his arms in mock.

“And what makes you think you have any chance of getting past all those soldiers and guard to even reach Azula in the first place? Maybe you held her and Mai off before, but that could have been luck; Azula might have thought you were cute for all we know and went easy.”

“Funny,” said Sasuke without smiling, “but I will be able to reach her. I’ll man the airship and conjure up a nice headwind for myself. Infiltrating the capital won’t be problem, I have that figured already. And as for anyone who gets in my way… “

His eyes crossed over Katara’s for a moment and she felt a sudden chill run up her spine before Sasuke twitched. It was a subtle movement, one she might have missed if she hadn’t been looking at him when he did move, but the next thing she knew, he wasn’t standing there anymore.

“… I’m not in whatever state I was when the Fire Lord and his minions got the best of me.”

Katara uttered a short scream as she heard his voice just behind her and she spun again, instinctively gathering a small collection of water from the air temple’s basin just down the stone steps and forming it into a tight hammer of liquid. He remained where he had moved himself to, standing back to back with her; she realized that if he hadn’t spoken, she never would have noticed that he was just behind her.

Turning slowly, Sasuke regarded them with an unblinking, challenging stare.

“Now are you going to give me directions, or are we going to do this again?”

* * *

Doing a last check over the make of the small airship and its instruments, Sasuke looked out over the long grassy plain that he and his vessel were alighted on. Beneath him was the massive and expansive temple, though he would never have guessed its existence if he hadn’t been down there just minutes ago. The sun beat down on him with a firm warmth as the blue sky beckoned to him and he prepared to board.

Zuko had taken him on a short spin up top to familiarize him with how to fly it, the others following closely on the flying bison which Sasuke had been surprised to see was exactly as they had described it. After placing it down on the grass, there had been a short bout of awkward goodbyes; Sasuke had only known them for a matter of hours, save for Sokka who he had escaped this prison with the previous afternoon. It was clear that his sister had no time for his attitude, or his manners and had not dismounted the beast Sasuke now knew to be called Appa, and had remained on his saddle, not looking in his direction.

Sokka too seemed to have lost the warmth he had initially spared Sasuke, and regarded him with suspicious looks and offered him the barest wish of luck before scooting away. Aang was a different story and Sasuke could tell the kid’s range of emotions towards him were vast; there must have been a part of him that wanted to like him, another part that was warning of distrust, and another still that found him too dangerous and unpredictable to trust or have around. All of this compounded with the fact that he clearly wanted Sasuke to succeed if only because of what it meant to Zuko. He had offered an awkward handshake and wished safe travels before turning jerkily to climb back aboard the bison.

The girl known as Toph had seemed more indifferent to the situation which Sasuke had found odd, considering how antagonistic she had initially been towards him. Instead of a barrage of insults and remarks on how she hoped he might go down in the middle of the ocean, she gave him a short “good luck” and retreated to climb into the back of the bison’s saddle.

Zuko had been the last to leave Sasuke to his preparations and clearly had a great deal he wanted to say, but couldn’t find the words for. He had settled on a handshake as Aang had and murmured his thanks in a fumbling of words before turning around sharply to be the last to board Appa and the bison had flown them back down into the ravine and to the temple.

A good ten minutes later, Sasuke was confident he could pilot the small airship successfully and make good time; he had been given the estimate that the Fire Nation’s capital would be about four hours west, but he was sure he could cut that down slightly. If all went well, he would be able to reach the capital by sunset.

The airship was small, with a balloon only about the size of Appa and a basketed cabin beneath that could hold about seven or eight people without feeling too cramped. Sasuke climbed in and closed the hatch, double checked his evening meal a last time to make sure it hadn’t mysteriously disappeared and turned to the burner.

“Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu,” he said, and blew a sizeable flame to reignite the burner and, disabling the anchors, the airship lurched from the grassy field and began to climb into the sky. After a period of ascension, Sasuke walked to the back of the ship and looked for a place to lie down and doze. With the sealing technique he had cast, he had every assurance that his craft would maintain a current course for the capital and the first real Fire Nation military outpost was at least an hour away. That was just enough time to get a little shut eye and mentally prepare for when—

“So, jutsu, huh?”

Snarling, Sasuke whirled with his Sharingan prepared to let loose at the intruder. Toph was leaning over the central metal box that composed the burner, looking at the rising fire, as much as a blind person could look.

“Zuko just has to move around like a monkey with ants eating at its privates to generate anything crazy, but you get a full fire going with just a few words.”

Turning to see how easy it would be to turn around and drop the stowaway off, Sasuke gave her an annoyed glance he knew she couldn’t see.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

She shrugged and dropped onto the floor where she spread herself out like a lethargic starfish.

“Few things. Coming along is one of them. Making sure you do what you promised is another.”

Adjusting the controls that dealt with the airship’s height, Sasuke listened to her ramble on behind him.

“I mean, if we're being frank here, nobody trusts you, not even Aang and he's usually pretty easy to win over. I don't think anyone has quite come around to the fact that you’re a complete freak as far as bending is concerned, and I’m betting with all that, no one even really thought to think about the fact that you just straight up left.”

Preparing to turn the ship around, Sasuke replied offhandedly, “As long as Zuko stays put and works on that training, I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

Topher seemed to think about this before snapping at him quickly as the airship began to turn.

“Don't even think about taking me back. I’ve made up my mind to come along and keep an eye on you. Proverbially anyway.”

He didn’t answer and she walked up behind him, “No one knows I left and no one's going to go missing me for a while. I said I was going into the temple to practice and look around; no one's going to notice I’m gone for a long time.”

Sasuke didn’t reply still, but jumped as Toph punched him in the rear.

“Hey, are you listening to me? I’m not ready to risk my life sneaking into the capital, not to mention my absolute hatred of heights just to have you try and ditch me.”

Glaring at her, Sasuke growled, “Hatred of heights, hmm?”

The air was permeated then by a scream from Toph who found herself very quickly being dangled over the side of the floating vessel by her ankle. Gripping her tightly, Sasuke watched her struggle for a moment with satisfaction as her tune quickly changed.

“Hey, hey, hey, I’m sorry, look, I wasn't trying to imply anything, this was just a whim!”

Peering over the side of the airship that was now close to approaching the first layer of clouds, Sasuke looked back to the girl he was currently suspending several thousand feet in the air.

“Hard to imagine how high up we are, isn't it? When you can't see, we could be ten feet, or ten thousand feet. Care to take a guess?”

She groaned and struggled against him further, arms flailing to try and find purchase anywhere. Sasuke continued, “Maybe on the ground, you're some kind of big name, but no earth and no sight make you look pretty hopeless to me.”

“Let me go!”

“You sure you want that?”

He loosened his grip on her ankle just long enough for her to feel the lack of control and Toph screamed again. Sasuke closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

It was stupid of him to not have looked around the entire burner box to make sure that no one had been there, but with the reaction he had received, it had been the furthest thing from his mind that anyone would try and tag along. And now he had this girl insisting she come along for no other reason than to make sure he kept his word to Zuko.

He had only barely began to turn his vessel, and bringing her back would zap away about an hour of his time, the canyon that the air temple was sewn into was just a slight jagged cut on the horizon now. Sighing as logic dictated his course, he lifted Toph back around and dropped her. She had time for a last scream as she fell a total of about a foot before landing on the floor of the basket in a heap.

Sasuke made sure his voice was firm and incontestable, “You’ll come along and you’ll do as I say.”

He turned to redirect their course and she repeated behind him as she picked herself off the floor, “I’ll come along and I’ll do as I say.”

Briefly stunned by her immediate return to disobedience, Sasuke turned to see her already waving her hand in submission. “Don't worry, freak, I won't cause trouble.”

Watching her a moment longer, Sasuke finished correcting their course and, after making sure they were still ascending at a soft, but steady incline, he dropped down in the back of the airship's basket and laid back on his satchel of food and meager supplies. He was surprised when Toph walked over to sit down relatively close to him, something he wouldn’t have expected considering their brief, yet troubled history.

“So, what's the plan?”

Closing his eyes, Sasuke replied back with an amount of snark worthy of Toph, “The plan is a plan that I thought of and that I’m going to use when we get to the capital.”

She snorted, “Nice.”

Allowing himself a brief smile, Sasuke returned to trying to doze before Toph gave him a final surprise. Scooting herself in his direction, she laid her head down over his shins as she adjusted herself into a comfortable position of her own.

“Just in case you get any funny ideas and try to ditch me again. You’re not going anywhere without me knowing about it.”

He stared back at her unseeing eyes for a moment before shrugging. “Have it your way.”

Seeming to find lying on her back would the most comfortable use of her newfound leg pillow, Toph let out a sigh as the light breeze flowing past them tousled her hair.

“I’m not going to ask how you managed to make this ship go exactly where we need to, I’m guessing you have more up your sleeve then just cramping on Aang’s style. I guess I’m just hoping you really _do_ have a plan.”

Speaking his last words before drifting off, Sasuke did his best to not sound too malicious. “Oh, I’ve got a plan. But you’re going to absolutely hate it.”

He became exceptionally perplexed then at how guilty he felt for what he was going to do.

* * *

Watching Zuko and Aang dance with all the ferocity and grace of the fire that swirled around them, Katara tried not to think about what had transpired earlier that day.

_Zuko, I’m so sorry._

He appeared to have bought Sasuke's pretense of wanting to help, but she knew better. Sasuke was long gone and wasn’t coming back. He was going to find his own path to answers and it didn’t involve helping Aang or Zuko. Katara only let him make off with their only other means of transportation because she wanted him gone. Worse than a liar, he was dangerous, and had been glad to see him go.

Sokka walked up alongside her to look out over the pair of them training.

“What are you thinking?”

Katara sighed, “I feel bad for Zuko.”

Blowing out a long breath of his own, Sokka dropped down to sit next to her. “Yeah, I can't believe I’m feeling bad for him considering this is _Azula_ we're talking about, but the poor guy doesn’t have much.”

Giving her brother a sideways glance, Katara clarified.

“I mean about trusting Sasuke.”

Blinking, Sokka nodded. “Yeah that too.”

Turning to fully face her brother, she looked over him carefully.

“You don't think he's actually going to try and make it to the capital, do you?”

Matter of factly, Sokka nodded again, more firmly. “Yeah, I do.”

He returned her look with a sad smile, “I just don’t think he has a chance of actually getting done what Zuko is hoping for.”

Staring at her brother in utter bewilderment, Katara shook her head to annunciate her feeling.

“I don't believe this. You, who never trust anyone, are taking that guy at his word??”

Sokka stretched his legs and looked thoughtfully off towards nothing in particular. “I’m not expecting you to understand, sis. Just a thing that I feel.”

He kept looking off and trailed on, “When we first met Aang, I didn’t believe a word of it. I felt the same way with just about everyone we ran into, not wanting to believe what I heard. And that was it, I didn’t want to believe it.”

From behind them, Suki called out, “Sokka, you coming?”

He waved an affirmative and stood up. Giving Katara a last sheepish look, he said, “You sound an awful lot like me, Katara. Maybe you just can't stand the idea of someone actually being willing to help us.”

And he ran off to join Suki, leaving Katara to watch the spectacle of flames put on by Zuko and Aang, wondering how in the world her brother could sound so smart and still be so wrong.

* * *

Stepping off the ramp from her airship, Azula looked around at the capital that she had only departed yesterday. She would never lament being home, but the writhing resentment for her father's recall made the usual taste of seeing her city a bit sour.

On her right, Ty Lee looked towards the north sky, “Looking like it’s going to storm.”

On her left Mai snapped back, “Ty Lee there hasn’t been rain, let alone a storm over the capital in decades.”

The acrobat shrugged, “Looks awful black to me.”

Allowing herself a moment to regard the dark clouds gathering on the horizon, Azula might have admitted at any other time that Ty Lee looked like she could be right. But the storm would likely pass by the capital on its northwestern side as all storm fronts did.

But she was in no mood to talk about the weather.

_I intend to get to the bottom of this immediately._

Without a word, she began a brisk walk towards her father's palace, Mai and Ty Lee in tow; she made it only halfway to the royal carriers before a high ranking officer, flanked by a small squad of upper guard.

He bowed low to her, “Your majesty, your father has sent me to collect you.”

She regarded him disdainfully.

“Obviously. I’m already on my way to see him however, consider your orders outdated.”

He looked perplexed at her chiding, but didn’t move out of her way. “Ah, yes, your highness, but… he informed me that this guard was to escort you personally to the palace.”

Raising an eyebrow, Azula gave him a look. “As you can see, I already have an escort with my two right hands. Your men will not be necessary.”

He still didn’t move.

“Fire Lord Ozai was quite insistent, your highness.”

Ty Lee tugged at Azula's robes. “It's alright, ‘Zula.”

Jerking her arm free of her friend's grip, Azula stepped toward the captain of the guard and jutted her chin furiously in his direction.

“I highly suggest you don't try and find out which of us is _more_ insistent. These two will be my accompanying guard to the palace, and if you speak another word, I’ll have you thrown from Azulon's tower.”

This finally seemed enough to sway him, and he waved his guards back before standing back to let them pass; storming past him, Azula continued towards the royal carriers. Behind her, Ty Lee spoke quietly.

“That was really sweet, Azula.”

Sniffing indifferently, the princess flicked a look back.

“Don't let it go your head. “

But as she entered her personal palanquin, she felt her frustration with the situation fade away ever so briefly as she looked back to see Mai and Ty Lee offering her grateful smiles. She snapped her fingers and the two of them climbed into palanquin’s of their own and the small procession began towards the palace of her father.

And as the afternoon grew dark at an unusually quick pace, thunder rolled in the distance.


	4. Chapter 4

** Chapter 4: Collision **

The head of palace security and captain of the guard reflected for the umpteenth time in the past hour how curious the present situation was. It was his duty and privilege and very distinct honor with safeguarding the massive ornate building that housed the Fire Lord himself, and until only just recently, he had managed to do everything necessary to fulfill that duty.

But now, here he stood alongside the majority of his guard, vacated of the palace at the express order of none other than Fire Lord Ozai himself. So now the entirety of the royal guard was milling about the palace grounds until further notice and the head of palace security was finding this less than flattering. It was almost as though he and his elite soldiers had been sent outside for recess as though they were children following school lunch.

Worse than being unflattering, however, it felt distinctly off.

Fire Lord Ozai had never been one to see the great need in explaining himself, but there was usually at least some semblance of reasoning behind his orders. And after the recent assault on the capital itself, security seemed of the utmost importance. Regardless, they had all been placed on temporary hold of their service until summoned by the Fire Lord’s personal aid, meaning that save for perhaps some of his closest advisors, their leader was completely alone. A prime target for Earth Nation assassins, or another joint attack or perhaps the Avatar himself making another appearance. All was enough to drive the captain of the guard a tad crazy as the possibilities rushed him.

“Sir, here they come.”

Glad to finally have something to focus his attention on that wasn’t his own muted distress, the captain looked down the long winding set of broad steps to see three palanquins being brought up to their base. He had been alerted ahead of time that Princess Azula and her personal consorts were en route and her highness was due for a meeting with her father.

_Could that be what this is all about? What sort of private matter with his daughter would make the Fire Lord paranoid enough to vacate the entire palace?_

Even from the distance that he stood, there was no mistaking Azula’s striking figure stepping free of her palanquin where she was joined by the other two young women that she seemed to go everywhere with. As she began to ascend the stairs, he turned and began to walk a path around the palace grounds. His second in command eyed him as he did.

“Sir? There are already five patrols sweeping the grounds as per your orders.”

He continued without looking back, calling over his shoulder.

“I know. But I have no desire to be anywhere between her highness and whatever her destination.”

And he left it at that. The second in command stayed put a moment longer before glancing down the stairs. As she approached, it was clear in her movements that Azula was not in the finest mood. She rarely was, but even then, the soldier took the advice of his superior officer, and took off as well.

_“SASUKE!! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WILL BECOME MY NEW LIGHT!! YOU HAVE MY SPARE EYE!!”_

_“FROM THE DAY YOU WERE BORN INTO OUR CLAN, YOU HAVE BEEN UNAVOIDABLY INTERTWINED FROM THIS BLOOD-SOAKED FIGHT!! NOW COME MY LITTLE BROTHER!! I SHALL KILL YOU TO OBTAIN MY TRUE TRANSFORMATION!!”_

_…._

_“But with us, it’s different. I’m always going to be there for you. Even if it’s as an obstacle to overcome.”_

_…._

_“THIS IS THE TRUE BOND OF THE BROTHERS OF THE UCHIHA!!”_

…

With a shout, Sasuke’s eyes snapped open and he pulled himself into a sitting position from where he had been laying; the words he had heard in his dreams continued to thunder in his head like the gongs of some monstrous bell.

_Was that… who was that?_

“You’re okay, freak. Bad dream?”

As the waking world became his reality, Sasuke looked up to see Toph leaning against the burner box, arms crossed and her blind gaze directed towards him. He licked his lips and breathed slow and calmly as his heartbeat slowed to a regular pace.

“Yeah, something like that.”

Looking skyward past the balloon of the airship, he blinked and then jumped to his feet. “How long was I asleep?”

Toph shook some hair free from her face and sat down, clearly relieving herself of the duty she had taken while watching him sleep. “Not sure, about two hours?”

The darkness of the sky caused Sasuke’s heart to skip a beat, but he quickly realized why the blackening of the sky had occurred. Directly ahead of them was a colossal storm front; a wall of black clouds rose from several hundred feet above the ocean to disappear into the heavens. Whatever breeze had been softly flowing was gone now, the distinct and unmistakable reality of the calm before the storm. Toph seemed to have picked up on this and asked, “It got pretty quiet while you were asleep. We’re not in trouble, are we?”

_Not yet._

Looking down, Sasuke could see the distant flicker of the lights from what must have been the Fire Nation capital a sprawling city that culminated at its highest point with a building that even from that far off he could tell was a massive and impressive structure.

“We’re close.”

The sudden nerves in Toph’s voice were apparent as she replied to him quickly, “We are??”

Not speaking back, Sasuke began preparations. He hadn’t counted on a storm, but with the blue sky he had dozed off underneath being replaced with an encroaching storm, he would need to work fast if he wanted to still go through with his plan. Casting another fireball jutsu that sent the small airship on a tremendously quick ascension, he double checked his limited gear and their trajectory. Assuring himself that everything was in order, he sat back down and pulled free an apple that had been provided to him as part of his provisions. Only then did he stop and actually listen to Toph who had been hounding him since he had started moving.

“… I swear, if you actually flew us all the way out here without an actual plan… I demand to know _right now_ what you’re thinking and what we’re going to do, because I can’t imagine that even _you’re_ stupid enough to just go park in front of the palace, walk inside and say ‘Hey, Azula, long time, no see, oh by the by, your dad is about to kill you to steal power from a comet, so fair warning’ unless you really _are_ that stupid in which case – was that thunder?!”

As a distant rumbling sounded and Toph spun around like a schizophrenic owl, Sasuke reached up and grabbed her arm, gently but firmly.

“You’re going to need to relax.”

Though he hadn’t quite expected it, she did as he asked and inhaled deep gulps of air in an effort to keep herself stable. When he was convinced she was in a place where she would actually comprehend what he was saying, Sasuke began to talk, keeping the details as fluffy as he could.

“The best way into a city guarded like a fortress as far as I can tell, is from air. We’ll go down just above the palace and land on the roof, or nearby, our inconspicuousness being rather important to that end. We’ll use your earthbending to get inside, and from there, we hunt down Azula.”

This gave Toph pause and she turned in his direction, “Wait, so part of this plan actually _relies_ one me being here.”

“It does now.”

She leapt into the air triumphantly. “Yes, I knew it! Act all tough and loner, but you need help just like everyone else, you’re not so bad… “

Another splintering crack of thunder sounded, this time much closer and louder, and Toph jumped again though this time not in jubilation. Sasuke looked towards the flickering black mass of cloud and found himself glad Toph was unable to see it and just how massive it was.

“You keep talking that way, and I’ll throw you into this storm.”

She rotated angrily to face him. “I knew it, that _was_ thunder!”

Her elation entirely gone, she dropped down to sit on the floor of the airship’s basket, wrapping her arms around her knees. A more intense wind had begun to interject itself over the prow of the vessel, and Sasuke finished his snack hurriedly before seizing the rope that served as his only other provision and began to tie it.

Toph muttered from the floor of the basket. “Stupid idea, should have let him just go get killed by himself, stupid asshole, making me think it was a smart move to tag along, I should have—”

Looking out over the black storm, Sasuke looked over the edge of the airship which had started to begin swaying more in line with the desires of the wind. Beneath them was the distant dark grey of the ocean and just ahead of them was the capital; it would be close, but wait much longer and he was risking serious disaster.

“I’m leaving now, you want off, or do you want to get hit by lightning and die complaining?”

Toph squealed at his words, her voice cracking. “YOU BETTER NOT!!”

She scrambled back up and raced up to the sound of his voice, colliding with him. If she had been much bigger, they might have both been knocked clean off the ship. Taking her shoulders to steady her, Sasuke asked, “Do you want to be on my back or on my chest?”

Even in the darkening light of the evening sky, he could see her cheeks redden and he rolled his eyes, clarifying what he meant, “I’m going to tie you to me; I’ll be able to control us falling fairly well, but it will be much more of a chore, and more risky, to try and do both of us separately.”

She turned her head upward at him.

“What do you mean ‘falling’? Aren’t we landing?”

A strong gust of wind rocked the vessel, and Sasuke lied in the hopes of speeding this process up.

“That’s what I meant, but the wind is going to get pretty strong and if we have to make a hard landing, I’ll be able to keep us both together and safe.”

She waited almost long enough for Sasuke to yell at her before muttering, “Front.”

Lifting her and putting her arms around his neck, Sasuke took the rope and tied her as tightly as he could to his chest. Another crash of thunder and roar of wind sounded, and as Toph jumped against him at the sound, he knew it was time.

_Sorry, kid._

Sitting on the railing of the airship, he tipped off backwards and fell into space. As the wind bellowed at him, the thunder rolling all about and Toph screaming to top it all off, he spoke a jutsu that he couldn’t well hear over all the noise. “Sound Release: Muffled Echo.”

All at once, the sound around him dulled into a dampened and fuzzy sound that resounded low in his ears. Finding it much easier to think, Sasuke turned his body so that he was aimed headfirst towards the ocean.

The storm seemed much larger and imposing than it had as though it had significantly gained speed since they first set eyes on it. The Fire Nation capital by comparison looking like a small display of a thousand tiny fireflies with an enormous, flickering black blanket swooping low to smother it. Keeping an arm wrapped around Toph, not trusting his knots in their entirety, Sasuke spoke again as his free hand went through several symbols.

“Wind Release: Vacuum Current.”

As though they had hit an invisible chute, they turned in their fall, carried diagonally towards the capital at an excessively intense speed. Sasuke cast another jutsu to hopefully deter any freak lightning strikes from directing themselves towards him and Toph and within thirty seconds of their descent, the capital had grown exponentially in relative size. Toph had fortunately stopped screaming, but he could still feel her heart pounding against him.

_Don’t worry, we’re almost—_

As they soared above the capital and palace at about two thousand feet, the world suddenly glowed very bright and Sasuke felt pain explode in his side as a fireball collided with it. His fall became free once more as the jutsu broke and he spun at the whim of the wind before correcting himself and returning to reality. The ground was bearing up on him awfully quickly and he shook away the burning tips of rope that flapped around him.

_Burning tips of rope?_

It was then, as he scanned beneath him relentlessly to see who might have attacked him, that he was absent a very particular weight. His eyes turned upward and he saw Toph falling twenty feet or so in front of him and about ten feet beneath his descent. She appeared to either have passed out from the strike they had taken or from fear entirely and dropped as helplessly as a ragdoll might. Growling, Sasuke prepared to recast his Wind Release jutsu to reach her and keep her from becoming a stain with attitude on the palace grounds.

Another fireball flashed by him on his right and he twisted in middair to track its path. As raindrops splattered against him as hard as rocks, he saw what he had somehow missed during their descent.

A Fire Nation airship of roughly the same size and make of the one he had just piloted over to the capital was steadily descending after them. It was slowly falling out of sight as it seemed unable to keep up with the rate Sasuke and Toph were falling, but not one to be without the last word, Sasuke pulled back an arm.

“Chidori!”

Barking the word, he let the lightning sling from his wrist, a very abrasive blue color against the white flashes amongst the blackening sky. It arced to reach the airship and he watched it explode in a burst of electricity against the balloon portion of the vessel. As it spiraled uncontrollably towards the ground, Sasuke turned back to the situation at hand.

_Shit!_

Was all he had time to think before his shoulder collided with an uppermost outcropping of the palace’s highest tower and blew it apart in a slew of rubble. As the pain seared at his limb, he realized that in the time it had taken him to turn, identify his target and attack, gravity had remained far from forgiving. He saw that Toph had miraculously avoided the same tower he had struck, but a quick glance down met him with a frightening realization.

He would never get to her in time.

There wasn’t enough time as the roof of the palace was seconds away; Wind Release wouldn’t get her to him in time. She was going to die because he had put getting even over her.

_No… I won’t!!_

Just as they were about to hit the roof at very near terminal velocity, a deep blue glow appeared from behind Sasuke. A snaking appendage, thin and with a massive hand to adversely complement its apparent wiriness, reached out and opened its palm beneath Toph, catching her even as the roof met Sasuke with a clattering smash.

He opened his eyes to realize that not only was he seemingly fine, but he felt mostly unhurt, save for the pain in his shoulder. As rain hammered down around him, he stood slowly to see what seemed to be a cage of dark blue arcs circling him in a protective shield. The arm that stretched out gently deposited Toph on the top of the palace and Sasuke looked around at the ghostly apparition that had just come to his aid.

“Susano’o.”

Somehow, he knew that was what it was, though how it had suddenly been remembered as something he could utilize was another matter entirely. Regardless, he had more important matters to deal with.

He raced over to Toph, the Susano’o disappearing as he did. A quick look over told him she hadn’t been hurt badly, save for a burn where part of her sleeve had been torched away when they had been hit. A quick couple slaps across the face and she was slowly blinking her way back to reality.

“Wha… what happened? Where… am I?”

Then as she must have remembered all that had happened, she leapt away from him and adopted a particularly angry stance. Sasuke straightened and stood back as the rain continued to lash them and lighting splintered the now entirely dark sky overhead.

“I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU!! YOU JUST JUMPED OUT OF THE AIRSHIP WITH ME?!”

She stomped her foot and an explosion of shingles and roof rushed towards Sasuke. Casting a quick substitution jutsu, he leapt away from her attack and cast another Wind Release, that allowed him to hover above the ground. His Sharingan had let him see that Toph’s movements and attacks came from her sensory abilities that she gained by communing with the ground beneath her feet. Of all the people he had read around the fire back at the temple, she had been by far the most impressive, but it was still with relative ease that she could be countered.

Sasuke watched as she clearly realized that he was no longer there and she spun about angrily, surely feeling through the roof with her powerful sense of touch, furiously keen to find him, “DON’T RUN AWAY FROM ME, YOU FREAK!!”

When he remained silent, she cried out in frustration and sent a circular wave around her feet rushing out and tearing at the roof, rushing up in a cascade of hard bits and framework. It would have been a strong blow to anyone it might have hit, but Sasuke remained quietly out of reach and out of her only two senses that could detect him. He watched as she seemed to grow more and more upset; he intended to let her burn herself out, or put her to sleep if she wasted too much time, but something surprising happened.

Toph continued to vent through her movements, flinging pieces of roof every which way, the sound of it muffled by the hammering of rain, claps of thunder, and roar of the wind. Sasuke listened to her curse him, scream insults and do everything in her power to find her target and introduce him to her wrath. It was after a dozen seconds or so of this behavior that Sasuke realized two things.

First, she shook with a sudden spasm every time there was a boom of thunder. Second, her movements were less aggressive than they were desperate, as though something very important relied on her blowing him away. He heard distinct fear enter her voice after a while and then after a minute, without warning, she dropped to her knees and ceased attacking him altogether.

And as he looked at her shake with fright and worry, head bowed on the massive sprawling roof, Sasuke realized that all she really was, was scared.

Her voice shook as she put her hands over ears, “Please don’t go… don’t leave me… I’m sorry.”

Had he been any weaker, Sasuke might have been overcome with pity. As it was, his mission never faded from his mind and he put himself down next to her. She didn’t reach to him returning to a plane where she could sense him, and she barely moved when he knelt next to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

“I’m right here, you’re alright.”

Words of comfort came from his mouth as though someone were pulling his teeth; empathy, he found, came to him about as reliably as cold found itself in fire. For a moment, the world was lit up in a silent and brilliant flash of lightning and Sasuke put his hands over Toph’s ears, but she still leapt as another boom, the loudest yet, shook the world around them. Taking his hands away, he leaned down to speak quietly in her ear.

“What do you say we get out of this storm?”

As though propelled purely by the idea of having something to do, Toph raised her head to give him a short nod. He stood up straight and she followed suit before bowing her head again, though he could tell it was for a purpose other than fear. After a second, she stomped her foot and Sasuke felt the roof beneath him give way, and he dropped down a circular hole that she had opened with her bending. He slid down a distance before they pair of them dropped into a massive hall, adorned on either side with pillars the width of a man lying on his back and lit by torch, glowing a dim, yet intense orange around them. The wall behind them silently opened to create hands of marble and stone, catching the pair of them to set them down silently in the shadowy corner of the great hall.

As the hands retreated to become the wall they were originally purposed to be, Sasuke instinctively leaned out to look up and down the massive room, even up to the ceiling that disappeared into blackness over a hundred feet above them.

“We’re alone,” Toph remarked coldly as though she had read his mind. Sasuke looked back to her skeptically.

“Are you sure?”

As though personally insulted by him even asking, Toph reached out with her hands and drew up pieces of the floor, both nearly the size of Appa before flinging them across the length of the hall to land in the shadow of the other pillars, hardly visible then, but the almighty crash that followed caused Sasuke to stare in pain and grit his teeth. But as the noise echoed away and no one came running, he was forced to look back to Toph who had her arms crossed.

“You win.”

He had hoped his submission would spur her further, but she instead seemed to ignore him and leaned back against the wall. In the shadows, he had trouble seeing her expression, but her aura practically seeped with her mood. Stepped up to lean on the wall beside her, he asked quietly, “Are you going to be okay?”

She shrugged her shoulders and sighed, “I just hate storms. Like, really badly. I got lost in my family’s garden once when I was a kid and a storm blew in. Rain hitting the ground made feeling my way around through the earth really difficult and the noise of it all made thinking impossible, except for remembering how alone I was in all of it. So, yeah, storm’s terrify me, laugh all you want.”

“I’m not laughing.”

Toph scratched behind her ear. “Yeah, you don’t seem like the kind to laugh at much of anything.”

Standing alongside her a moment longer in the pure quiet of the enormous hall and listening to the distant rumble of thunder, Sasuke supposed that he ought to move this along. Surprised he didn’t have to remind her of their reason for being there, she pushed away from the wall and started to walk further into the palace. He fell in line beside her as she asked, “Do me a favor and stop moving a second.”

He complied and she got on her hands and knees, palms open against the red carpeted floor. After a moment, she mused, “Weird. The place is almost totally empty. It’s a lot harder to sense people when they’re not moving, but I’ve got one down the hallway… footfalls to heavy for a woman though. There’s another… too soft, Azula walks way more aggressively than that… “

As Toph muttered out her findings one after another, Sasuke couldn’t help but be genuinely impressed over her control of her element; her blindness had very clearly done nothing but enhance her growth and skill.

Suddenly, she stood up straight and pointed at an angle towards what must have been another part of the palace.

“There. About a dozen hallways away, three sets of footsteps.”

“Are you sure she’s one of them?”

Toph smiled. “One set is almost dragging her feet, like she’d rather by lying down then walking about, another set is almost bouncing around, and the third is marching with the authority of someone who thinks a great deal of her place in the universe.

Nodding, Sasuke ran his fingers along the handle of his blade.

“Lead on.”

Stopping in front of the massive ornate door that provided entrance to her father’s chambers, Azula found herself remembering exactly where she was. She was about to receive an audience with the most powerful man in all the four nation, her father and ruler, and it would not do well to enter his abode with an attitude of any kind. She was more than aware of her frustration laden footsteps and the silence from her two companions informed her that her dissatisfaction with the situation was no great secret.

Exhaling and humming sweetly in an attempt to return to her usual amenable façade laced with malice, she turned to look at her friends. “Mai, I know this isn’t a first for you, but Ty Lee, do exactly as I do. Do not speak unless spoken to, reply to anything asked of you with a bow, and under no circumstances express yourself with anything more than a small smile.”

Ty Lee gave her a look.

“The Fire Lord doesn’t like big smiles?”

Azula turned back to the door.

“I’ve seen him kill for less.”

With an audible gulp, Ty Lee adopted a much more modest expression.

The door swung open with an impressive silence for a piece of architecture quite its size. Quite like the rest of the palace, Fire Lord Ozai’s chamber was one of deep black and orange, the line of fire burning before the throne the brightest colors to be found. As she had done dozens of times before, Azula strode in, briskly but respectfully; her father sat on his throne as he always did, silhouetted intensely by the fires that lit his room. His voice that Azula had heard an uncountable number of times was just as smooth and commanding as she always remembered it.

“My daughter… how good it is to see your face again.”

She bowed low. “My lord, it is an honor to be returned to your presence so quickly.” It was with a great deal of effort that she was able to keep from putting any resentment in that statement.

Returning her gaze upwards, Azula looked at the imposing frame of her father inquisitively.

“I noticed that the palace was far more empty than usual and a large number of the royal guards were displaced outside. Is there something happening?”

The Fire Lord raised his hand in a gesture of dismissiveness.

“A series of drills are being conducted by the captain of the guard; I was told that he intends for security to be of a much greater focus amongst the capital. Perhaps he feels the precautions you and I put in place are not enough.”

Azula wrinkled her nose disdainfully.

“He is a fool. The work we put in to secure the capital after the invasion is complete and impregnable.”

“I quite agree, but I found it best to appease him in this case.”

Azula nodded in blind agreement. Her father’s gesture moved to her right and left. “I see you denied my guards that I sent to meet you in favor for your own.”

Bowing again, she replied as diplomatically as she could.

“Your gesture was much appreciated father, but these two are the best to have at my side.”

As impossible to read as always, her father leaned back and spoke with something of interest in his voice, “I was hoping you might make introductions.”

“Of course. This is Mai, daughter—”

“Ah, yes, how could I forget. Ukano’s daughter. My apologies, my dear, forgive an old man’s ailing memory, I meant nothing by it.”

Mai inclined her head deeply. “There is nothing to forgive, your highness.”

Azula turned her gaze to Ty Lee who was doing a remarkable job keeping her usual bounciness under control. “This is Ty Lee, from the academy.”

“The three of you used to play when you were children, yes?”

Genuinely surprised that her father, who never had time for children, or the exploits of such, had remembered this, Azula nodded.

“Indeed.”

Spreading his hands in a gesture of goodwill, Fire Lord Ozai spoke with the closest thing to warmth Azula imagined she had ever heard. “I welcome you both into my humble abode. I only wish… it were under better circumstances.”

This gave Azula pause for more than one reason. She didn’t think, that in her entire life serving him, that she had ever heard her father slow up on his words, not even once. The Fire Lord was a man of outspoken feelings and always spoke his mind, feeling the lack of doing so to be a waste of efficiency and time.

She also could never recall having ever heard something that sounded of regret mingle in her father’s tone. From banishing his own son, to being betrayed by Iroh and Zuko on more than once occasion, to ordering the entire sixteenth legion to march into a massacre in the hopes of catching the enemy by surprise with an aerial attack during one of the attempts on an Earth Nation fortress, Azula never heard any form of remorse come from her father.

Slowly and carefully, she asked, “Are the circumstances cause for concern, father? Forgive my impudence, but I assumed you recalled me to the capital due to pressing need, is something wrong?”

It was then that Fire Lord Ozai fell silent for nearly an entire minute. The harsh crackle of flames kept the room from being completely seized in silence, but the tension began to grow until it was entirely impossible to ignore. Azula could practically feel Ty Lee squirming next to her and she would have admitted to feeling slightly uneasy herself. There was something her father was having trouble putting into words and that in and of itself was more than cause for concern.

When he finally did speak, it was with slow and intent deliberation, “I don’t find this easy to say, nor will I find it easy to do… but the truth is the truth and I owe this to you, my daughter.”

He stood, his silhouette becoming one even more imposing as his shadow lengthened on the wall behind him; he paced slowly, as though using the movement to control his words.

“In recent months, I have become aware of a particular ritual invented by my grandfather, your great-grandfather that, if performed, might grant one such as myself exceptional potential awoken by Sozin’s Comet itself.”

Azula felt something akin to excitement begin to spread from her gut. A new way to combat the Avatar and the joint forces of the Earth and Water Nations perhaps?

“What is this ritual?”

Fire Lord Ozai reached the end of his throne’s platform and turned, pacing the thirty or so feet the other direction, still speaking slowly. “My daughter, are your companions loyal to this nation?”

She didn’t even need to think in order to reply honestly. “Yes, of course.”

“I’m glad. Then they will understand, as you will, why this has to happen.”

As though summoned from the very shadows themselves, a cluster of hooded figures descended from the darkness belittling the room and gathered in a semicircle around the throne of Azula’s father. It was not lost on her that she and her friends had been surrounded. Mai growled and Azula heard the distinct sound of her drawing her knives, and she saw Ty Lee adopt a defensive stance out of the corner of her eye.

The Fire Lord continued on as though there had been no sudden intrusion. “The ritual set in stone by my grandfather decades ago indicated that the ability to utilize the comet to inhibit the Avatar State itself could be possible. As firebenders, we all will be able to draw power from Sozin’s Comet, but this ritual will grant me access to a path that will truly make me insurmountable to even the Avatar himself.”

He gestured around them, drawing notice to the hooded dozen figures that hadn’t moved since forming their almost invasively tight circle. Azula could tell that her friends had turned their attention to them, but she kept her gaze locked intently on her father. There was a growing feeling in her that she couldn’t quite identify, one that she honestly felt she didn’t want to try and name.

“It is entirely possible that the nation I reign over might feel… dubious of my actions here, and I have appropriately evacuated the palace so no watching eye might report my doings to the populace. I apologize for that lie.”

The wall of fire that separated him from any onlookers parted, and he stepped down a couple of the stairs, drawing closer to them, but remaining on the steps to remain above them. Now, Azula could see his face, the face of the man she had respected more than anyone, whom she believed would be the one to bring about true change to the four nations.

“I had sent a group of disposable guards to fetch you as they would need to be killed along for this façade to play out. But as it stands, it will only need to be you three.”

He took another step down the stairs, and Azula felt her heart catch in her chest as he addressed her, in a tone almost too soft to believe it was even his.

“Azula, my daughter, my purest creation… to perform this ritual, I have to… let you go.”

There it was, the penultimate moment. She realized she had hadn’t been breathing and pulled in a shaking, rattling breath as her world spun.

Everything she had worked towards had built to this final requirement, this statement of her being. To be a loyal servant to the end, to give her father every piece of her, even her life, to fulfill the fate of the Fire Nation. There was nothing she could even think to say, nothing she could even really think to do. Her father reached out a hand towards her, beckoning in a final sort of way.

“Will you grant me this severance?”

Azula felt her hand shaking and she clasped it behind her back. There was no choice. Her life had already been given in service to her father thus far; how could she deny him this now? Her life, truly, was no more than something to be used, something to be traded for gain when said gain outweighed her usefulness.

_You were never even a player._

The words she had spoken to the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se resounded in her head; was this what it had felt like? To finally be reduced to a party worth only what it offered by way of intrinsic value?

_Please, Zuzu, while you’re still trying to manage your anger, I’ll be second hand to our father, and one of the most feared and respected people in all of the Four Nations._

Words she had thrown at Zuko before he had departed on his banishment voyage to hunt down the Avatar rang hollowly within her mind as she swallowed.

This was it.

The end.

Taking a long breath, Azula closed her eyes and unclenched her fists at her side. “I will, father.”

Steeling herself, she walked forward, but had only gone a single step to kneel at the Fire Lord’s feet before an hand grabbed her by the upper arm and spun her around. She then no longer saw her father’s imposing visage, but that of her friend who was glaring at her with furious eyes.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME, ‘ZULA?!”

Ty Lee’s voice echoed around the chamber with a tempestuous echo that resounded with the thunder that continued to storm about beyond the walls of the palace. Her face was furious, and her eyes were glimmering with unshed tears.

“IS THAT ALL THIS WAS FOR?! ALL YOUR TALK, AND YOUR HIGH AND MIGHTY ATTITUDE, AND YOU’RE JUST GOING TO DIE BECAUSE _MAYBE_ IT GIVES THE FIRE NATION A CHANCE TO BEAT THE AVATAR?!”

Mai put a hand on Ty Lee’s shoulder, and Azula could see that her sullen friend was crying fully, shaking silently, but her hand was thrown away. Azula waited to be yelled at again, but after a long second of staring at her desperately, Ty Lee finally shook her head and took forward, knocking her aside and moving to stand closest to her father.

”I’m sorry, your highness. But I can’t let you kill your own daughter.”

Azula’s heart was a storm of emotion; indignation that Ty Lee had butted in, worry that her father was going to disintegrate her friend on the spot, and something that might have been affection trying to worm its way past all her negative feelings. She couldn’t find a single thing to say as the Fire Lord stared down at the young woman who now blocked his path towards what he believed to be certain victory.

Shouldering gently past Azula, Mai paced forward reluctantly, head bowed. For a moment, Azula was sure she was going to pull Ty Lee back, but then, to her horror, Mai slowly withdrew a knife from the inside of her sleeve and directed it forwards toward the Fire Lord.

Her arm shook a moment, before it steadied, “Whatever you gain from this, my lord, I promise it will never be worth it.”

Azula couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Minutes ago, she had been on a way to an audience with her father, albeit under peculiar circumstances, but it was still something she had done a hundred times before. Now, her only two friends in the world were threatening her father, the most powerful man in all of the Four Nations as though meaning to deny him. It was all so impossible, she couldn’t hardly believe it.

The Fire Lord cocked his head, and asked, “My daughter, I fear the loyalty to these two was perhaps not what you claimed it to be.”

Finding the ability to move again as she was addressed, Azula stumbled forward numbly, grabbing both of her friends. “Stop it both of you. This is what I want.”

As though the words were coming from somewhere beyond her own head, she turned to her father, “If I submit, will you let them go? I know they have disrespected you, but I implore you to find forgiveness and allow them to live.”

She bowed her head.

“I am your humble servant, and I will always submit to your will. My only desire is that these two may live on.”

The Fire Lord regarded her as Mai and Ty Lee made noises of protest before speaking over them. “I hadn’t intended for there to be witnesses to this moment, but for you, my daughter, I will allow them their lives.”

Ty Lee stepped furiously towards him, “WE DON’T NEED YOUR—”

Desperate to keep her friend from making such a devastating mistake, Azula took Ty Lee by the shoulders and forced her to meet her eyes. “Ty Lee, please. Do not make this any harder than it need be. The Fire Nation’s victory is worth more than my life.”

She choked on the last word and nearly couldn’t speak it; Mai stared at her disgustedly over Ty Lee’s shoulder.

“Words of a slave.”

Azula looked to Mai angrily. “Just because I’ve decided to make my life mean something beyond moping around and waiting to die doesn’t translate to slavery. Go, Mai.”

Giving Ty Lee a gentle push away from her, Azula watched Mai carefully. She was met with a hardened stare for several long moments, and she waited to be further disputed. But finally, Mai took a now crying Ty Lee by the arm and turned her away.

“Have it your way.”

And without looking back, she marched them both away. The hooded enforcers stepped silently apart to allow them passage and as she watched them go, Azula felt a hundred things she could say roll over her tongue. But in the end, she wasn’t strong enough to tell her two friends what they truly meant to her and she turned back to her father in resignation. He had not moved and she approached him, her heart hammering in her chest.

“Kneel, my daughter.”

As she reached the bottom step, she obeyed, closing her eyes. Stupidly, she wondered if death was something that hurt.

“Your sacrifice will be remembered, Azula. You will live on in our—Argh!”

Azula’s eyes flashed open at her father’s snarl and she looked up to see that a knife had sprouted from his shoulder. His fingers grasped at it and at the sound of a scuffle behind her, Azula turned to see that Ty Lee had already subdued two of the men forming the semicircle and Mai had raced past her, arm already pulling back to sling several more knives. At once, Azula reached out a hand in an attempt to stop Mai, but before she could even utter a word, a pair of the hooded man had taken her down before any more knives could be thrown.

At a cry from behind her, Azula turned and watched as Ty Lee was taken down by no less than four of the silent soldiers and restrained; ahead of her Mai grunted in pain as one of the men threw a punch into her gut and she doubled over. They forced her to her knees where she gasped and looked at Azula, face agonized, but her eyes more still.

A clatter sounded next to Azula as the blade her father had pulled from his shoulder fell to the ground, still glistening in the glow of the fire with his blood. She saw his face alive with anger staring down at her as he raised his hand in her direction.

“Enough.”

As she realized what was about to happen, Azula couldn’t even think to close her eyes. Flame coalesced around his palm, a burning white glow, ready to pierce her body and fell her. Mai screamed in protest, but it was a muffled sound as the pounding of her heart thundered in Azula’s head.

In the next moment, several things happened.

Fire Lord Ozai unleashed a firebolt at his daughter, tight and pointed, aimed directly at her heart. Azula remained where she had been, half risen to her feet before she was knocked aside. Ty Lee, who had somehow escaped the grasp of the men who had ceased her attack, had come in from the side and struck her in the shoulder. And as Azula fell to the ground, she watched as the flaming bolt of pure heat and fury tore into her friend and Ty Lee collapsed without a word.

The sounds of everything around her became very clear at that point. The sound of Mai crying in despair, the crackling of the fire, her own breathing. Something was rising from deep within her, and it wasn’t anything she knew how to deal with.

She turned to look at her father who was looking on with something that was likely disdain and it clicked. Azula hadn’t lied when she claimed that her life had less meaning. But Ty Lee’s surely had.

As the rising in her throat finally came forth, she screamed in anger and threw a wall of burning blue flame directly at her father. She had time to see the look of shock on his face before the fire smothered him like a blanket. Stumbling away and stunned at what she had done, Azula was able to jerk her head to the left and blast away the men holding Mai down; she found herself barking orders, the one thing that didn’t seem horrifyingly out of place.

“Help me get Ty Lee, we’ll have to—”

This was as far as she got before a jet of lightning struck her in the chest. She arched her back in pain, and dropped to her knees, her eyes blurring with agony as she saw her father slicing through the attack she had thrown at him. Even then, though, his voice reflected only deep regret. “My child… you would strike me?”

Freed from her captors, Mai was able to get off a single knife that the Fire Lord shot from the air with an arc of fire before the men Azula had blasted were replaced. As the lightning dissipated and Azula gasped for breath, she found herself dragged up and forced to her knees alongside Mai. Not able to even look in her father’s direction, she turned to look at Mai weakly.

The words came freely then, almost miraculous in the ease at which they flowed. She knew she didn’t have long to say them “Mai, I’m so sorry. I never wanted this for you, or Ty Lee.”

Mai only looked at her sadly. Above them, Fire Lord Ozai growled. “My own daughter, turned against me by something as pathetic as friendship. Though this pains me to no end, perhaps it is a mercy I strike you down before you betray me further.”

He seemed as though he might have had more to say, but in an instant, the very ground beneath him rose up and encased him from the neck down in a casket of earth. The floor beneath Mai and Azula tipped up and they both were dumped away from the hooded men; Azula rolled upright in time to see them all knocked up by pillars that shot out of the ground with vicious speed and then, while they were still floating in the air like dolls, a sweeping arc of lightning roared through the air and ripped them to pieces. As their remains fell to the ground, Azula watched as the child she knew to be called Toph rode a wave of the palace floor to stop next to her, hands raised in an aggressive earthbending stance.

“Hiya, Princess. Hope we’re not intruding on anything too important.”

Ahead of them, her father’s entombment glowed red hot before bursting away from him in a blowup of magma. He glared down at Toph, his rage on full display as he whipped a firestorm together above him preparing to unleash it on the only remaining people living in his chamber.

“YOU DARE ATTACK ME?”

He never finished flinging his firestorm however as Azula caught sight of a shadow just behind the roaring flames her father had whirled to life. Breaking through the waves of heat completely unscathed, she saw none other than the young man she had fought briefly at Boiling Rock prison come flying towards the Fire Lord’s back, the same lightning he had just used to blast away the hooded guards still crackling around his arm. There was no time to see it coming and all at once, her father was blown over her head in a din of pure blue energy as the attack met its mark. The Fire Lord was dashed against the ground of his very chamber, thrown several dozen yards before skidding to a halt. He immediately picked himself up, and glared towards where the prisoner stood, just where he had moments before.

The exchange of places seemed oddly appropriate as the prisoner pointed at Fire Lord Ozai with his glowing hand, blue sparks of energy spitting from it wildly.

“Looks like this party is really getting started now.”

Sasuke couldn’t quite believe his timing.

He and Toph had broken in just as Ozai had been about to fully cremate his own daughter, just as Zuko had believed would be the end goal. Toph’s quick thinking had been just what they needed and now, he had his chance. Azula was saved, and now he could turn his attention to things that concerned him more.

He flicked his gaze down to see that Mai had rushed to Ty Lee’s side; the latter wasn’t moving, and Sasuke knew they didn’t have time for sentiment, regardless of who might be dead.

“Toph, get them out of here.”

A slab of earth the size of a small bed lifted from the ground, carrying Ty Lee’s body aloft. Toph grabbed both the dazed looking Mai and the stunned looking Azula by the wrists and ran with them at the wall, as the floating rocky gurney trailed after them. Just as they were about to collide with the side of the chamber, the very wall itself pulled apart to allow them access.

Snarling, Ozai drew up a great many flaming orbs and hurled them at the retreating women, but Toph threw up a shield of earth behind them, taking the attacks full on. Not deterred, Ozai leapt after them, fire blowing from his palms and feet propelling him forward.

In all this, he must have forgotten about Sasuke.

“Going somewhere, old man?”

Meeting him in midair, Sasuke allowed himself a quip before throwing down a tremendously quick taijutsu combo and flinging him backwards. They both landed on their feet, Ozai a little shakily and Sasuke half turned to see Toph, still with the three young women in tow, turning back questioningly at him. This wasn’t something that he had discussed with her and for good reason. He had no clue if he would actually be leaving with her at all.

“Go.”

She blinked and shook her head, taking a step forward. Sasuke cursed and uttered, “Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.”

A great piece of earth rocketed up from below, shaking the very chamber itself. Nearly as wide and as tall as the entire side of the chamber wall, it blocked Toph and her company from Sasuke’s view and he returned his gaze to the Fire Lord. As it had been generated and moved with his chakra, it would take a reasonable amount of effort for Toph to move it as its energy differed from his own. Hopefully, she would take the hint and take off while they still had the chance.

Sasuke had other plans. Pointing intently at Ozai, he spoke calmly and directly. “You have answers I need.”

There was a string of seconds in which the Fire Lord simply blinked at him and Sasuke realized he hadn’t been recognized immediately. Stepping forward and more so into the glow of the surrounding fire, he snapped, “Remember me now?”

Ozai’s face dawned with recognition and a disbelieving smile crept subtly onto his face.

“It’s you. The boy who broke into my grandfather’s temple and tried to kill me.”

Seeing no reason to waste time, Sasuke spoke truthfully. “Believe it or not, I have very little memory of our first encounter, but I _do_ know that you locked me up in the depths of that dump to hold onto me for whatever reason.”

The Fire Lord laughed and fresh fire was whipped to life around him.

“It seems I should have not taken you so lightly, boy. I will not make that mistake again.”

Knowing that hell was about to break loose, Sasuke tried to quickly pry some form of information. “How did I come to be in your temple? Why was I imprisoned instead of executed?”

Ozai’s gaze darkened and he growled, his powerful voice resonating over the hissing of his summoned flames. “I’m not in the mood to play games. You have taken my daughter from me, and I must reacquire her.”

“Is that all she’s good for? Your own child, nothing more than a sacrifice for a ritual you don’t even know will work?”

“It is my duty, my purpose to make the difficult decisions that no one else will. As Fire Lord that means putting my position before my family.”

Suddenly, there was a flash in Sasuke’s head and the words he had heard while dreaming raced in to pummel his consciousness. But more than that he saw a face hovering before him, one that, at a glance, was like looking in a mirror. Black eyes and a slightly older complexion told him that it was not exactly him, but his mere appearance was enough to cause Sasuke’s heart to churn.

It was due to this sudden visualization of someone from his past that he only was able to move slightly away from an enormous fireball that detonated at the ground at his feet; it tossed him away, but he was able to catch himself and land feet first near the Fire Lord’s throne.

Ozai was bearing down on him now, his face alive with excitement and malice. “If you want answers so badly, you’ll have to find them yourself!”

The battle only raged for a minute before Sasuke realized the odds he was against. He had made this trip under the confident expectation that there were no beings in this world that would be able to stand against his vast array of jutsu, and natural techniques such as his Sharingan. But Ozai was something beyond what he had expected; the Fire Lord’s attacks were ferocious, swift and worst of all, constant. There was no room to recover, to set up anything, to even try and analyze what was being struck at him.

If Ozai was abiding by the laws of Chakra, it would be a near impossibility that he was able to maintain such constant aggression and pressure, but with every wall of fire that was put in his path, with very burning whip that seared at his flesh, with every tidal wave of heat that scorched across the room, Sasuke knew that he was fighting a very different kind of enemy. There was no time to cast a jutsu, no time to even think about how to proceed.

Finally, he got careless as he leapt between pillars and a fireball caught him in the side, sending him crashing into the wall and to the ground. As he blinked away the pain, he heard Ozai behind him cackling energetically.

“This was all you had to offer? I would have guessed you were made of sterner stuff, boy.”

_You already gave me what I wanted, old man. You like fire so much, let’s see if you can really take the heat._

From his place on the ground, Sasuke had been given more than enough time to concentrate and prepare his move, the Fire Lord’s hubris giving him exactly what he needed to pull together his chakra. Blood dripping from his eye, he launched himself to his feet and whipped his head around.

“Amaterasu!!”

But as the onyx flame burst from the ground, Ozai was no longer standing where Sasuke had known him to be; he had time to look up just in time to see the Fire Lord bearing down on him with fire erupting from his palms. Roaring, Sasuke cast a substitution jutsu and pulled himself behind Ozai, tackling the older man from behind.

“What are you—” was all that Ozai had time to snarl before they both hit the ground heavily; Sasuke used the force of the impact to roll to his feet and direct his black flame towards the Fire Lord who was trying to pull himself up. He had barely straightened before the Amaterasu had reached him, searing at his robes and working to engulf him. Sasuke watched him flail about for a moment beneath the Fire Release technique, but was stunned to see that the Fire Lord had begun to laugh. Ozai turned to face him, fully wrapped in the pitch black fire, but seeming entirely unharmed.

“No matter the fire, I cannot be touched, not as long as the heat remains loyal to me,” he boomed before tossing Sasuke aside like a leaf caught in a gale. As he hit the ground on the other side of the chamber, Sasuke doused the Amaterasu and saw Ozai continuing towards him as though the fire had never been there at all, an orange aura enwrapping his person. Sasuke got to his feet with a wince and his Sharingan flared to life.

_If this keeps up, I’m going to get pissed._

“I don’t understand what you’re doing here. Is the Avatar with you?”

Toph shook her head at Mai’s question as she continued to feel her way through the palace, working towards the grounds that housed the royal airships that she and Sasuke had previously discussed. She had assured Mai that Ty Lee was still breathing and that her best chance was for them to escape as quickly as possible. Still, that didn’t stop her from continuing to fling questions.

“Nope, just me and the asshole.”

“But… “

Not for the first time, Mai made to turn around as if expecting to catch a glance of him. Toph pulled on her wrist again and she fell reservedly back in line.

“But who is he? Why is he with you?”

Trying to keep her entourage of previous enemies in line compounded with attempting to work her way towards her destination _and_ with Mai hammering her with questions, Toph was starting to feel slightly overwhelmed; she wasn’t even going to think about the fact that she was perhaps feeling a little worried for her companion.

Turning sharply down a hall, Toph answered as concisely as she could. “His name is Sasuke, and he came along with me to make sure her highness here didn’t get buried.”

“Why?”

Toph sighed irritably, “Because Zuko pitched a big fit and didn’t want to let Azula die. He wanted to come himself, but he was talked down because he wouldn’t stand a chance talking to her, and we need him alive to teach Aang firebending. So Sasuke volunteered to make the trip warn Azula and I tagged along.”

Mai’s pace slowed briefly at the mention of that particular name, “Zuko…”

Huffing, Toph snapped. “Yeah, yeah and I sure he’ll be more than happy to see you too. But in case you forgot, you just attempted to kill the Fire Lord, and we’re still inside the Fire Nation palace. So, how about we get out of here and _then_ worry about being all excited to see old flings?”

“Zuko was _not_ a—”

“Yeah, yeah.”

They resumed their hurried escape in what was finally some variable of silence and Toph was able to focus on what she was truly concerned about.

Bringing Ty Lee was of no issue as she barely seemed conscious, Katara would have to take at her before she even opened her eyes again. Mai was moving with a frantic, harried pace as though she was having trouble keeping track of the pure chaos she had been thrown into, but Toph didn’t feel as though she were dangerous.

Azula on the other hand, was no less than worrying.

Toph hadn’t let go of the princess’s wrist since they began rushing their way from the Fire Lord’s chamber and while she had made no attempt to resist or even speak up, everything about her seemed wrong. Toph had encountered Azula enough to come to expect a very usual air of arrogance, confidence and coldness, but there was nothing to be sensed in her now. Her pulse beat slowly and her pace was jerky and unsteady; Toph almost felt that Azula would topple over if she let her go.

Azula hadn’t said a word as well since they had begun to walk out and the very fact that there was nothing to indicate how she was feeling had Toph on edge. And as they rushed further and further from the Fire Lord’s chamber and Toph felt tremendous rushes of energy running from that same room towards them, she silently dared to hope.

_Sasuke… don’t you die on me._

In her head, she kept replaying it over and over. Her father, demonic and endless in his desire, loosing his attack towards her.

Ty Lee, endlessly faithful, pushing her aside.

Mai screaming as Azula had never heard before as their friend collapsed silently.

The young man she now knew to be named Sasuke arriving alongside Toph to save them.

And in the middle of it all, herself, Azula, useless and faltering.

Her will felt like it was rushing out of her as though a great dam had broken in her heart and everything that had driven her forward was flowing away, never to be harnessed again.

It was agony and yet nothing.

And all she could think, over and over.

_Why am I so weak?_


	5. Chapter 5

** Chapter 5: Sunder **

Ozai never saw it coming.

One moment he was confidently stepping towards Sasuke, the next, he had been completely frozen in place, victim of a particularly crafty jutsu. Not daring to move in the risk of breaking the shadow possession jutsu that he had cast, Sasuke simply stared at the Fire Lord who stood a few long paces away, unmoving and teeth grit in concentration. Closing off his Sharingan, Sasuke pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his shoulders.

“You won’t be able to move. I’ve connected my shadow to yours, and as long as it stays that way, you’re completely immobilized. That big firestorm you were getting ready to throw my way won’t be happening.”

He took a small amount of satisfaction from the look of surprise on Ozai’s face that he had been read at all, but knew he didn’t have much time. After snaring his opponent, he had cast Wind Release: Hunter Sense and the wind had told him that not only was a great mass of soldiers converging on the Fire Lord’s chamber, they were also entering through the back of the palace and would be meeting with Toph shortly. That wouldn’t do.

Trying to not show any of the pain he was feeling as a result of the beating he had taken from Ozai, Sasuke straightened and spoke briskly. “I’ll give you a last chance to save your own skin. What do you know about me?”

Ozai’s snarl turned into a sadistic grin. “You really can’t leave that alone, can you? Well, the truth then: I don’t know a thing about you, boy.”

Sasuke stared in anger as the Fire Lord continued on, “You were thrown into the bottom of Boiling Rock because I didn’t know what to do with you. I had to put you somewhere you were kept out of sight, so rumors wouldn’t spread that an infiltrator such as you even existed. I intended to send along orders for my daughter to interrogate you following her arrival to overlook the prison, but those plans were cut short for a multitude of reasons. I know nothing about you, Sasuke, save for your impossible adeptness with multiple elements, and your impossible entry into my grandfather’s temple.”

His eyes were alight with glee at the clear displeasure his lack of a real answer had caused Sasuke, who triggered his own eyes to peer into Ozai’s heart, but his jutsu turned up nothing. The Fire Lord was being truthful.

Finding this difficult to wrestle with, Sasuke growled towards the ground, “Yeah those plans wouldn’t have lasted. I forgot: you find your daughter only worthwhile as a lamb to be butchered in a primitive attempt to gain power from a celestial body. Hard to believe _you’re_ what everyone’s so scared of.”

Sasuke was glad to see, at least, that this seemed to have gotten somewhat under Ozai’s skin. He tilted up his chin and snapped in return, “Don’t act like you have any right to judge me, child. My daughter understood, though it is clear you, nor her friends could do the same. For what I am willing to pay, the return I will gain will be enough to fully cement my place, the Fire Nation’s place, in history.”

His manic expression was enough to give Sasuke pause; there would be no debating with this man, no words would show him the error of his ways. Though his entire purpose currently was to uncover the reason behind his own existing in this world, Sasuke found himself not entirely opposed to snuffing out this contemptible man for what he deemed a worthy trade for the life of his own daughter. His hand brushed the hilt of his sword as he considered drawing it and taking the life of the Fire Lord.

_It would be so easy._

The Fire Lord had to fall to the hand of Aang, Katara had made this very clear to him before he had departed the temple. This would be the only way true balance could be restored to the Four Nations, and Sasuke was _not_ to get any ideas about trying to take down the Fire Lord on his own.

But here he was, here in the now, with the very man in question helpless before him. Sasuke found himself drawing his sword and angling it at the ground near his feet. Would it not be better for everyone if he made did this now? It could be reported that Aang had been the one to strike down the Fire Lord, if that’s what the people needed to hear. All Sasuke needed to do was pull back his sword, rush forward and…

Ahead of him Ozai cocked his head, “I must ask you… who is it you think has been trapped? I didn’t expect such prowess from you, young man, nor did I expect the danger you posed. I will remedy that.”

There was a glowing glint behind him and Sasuke turned in time just to throw up a defensive jutsu.

“Wind Release: Heightened Current!”

With the rush of wind flowing chaotically in all directions but towards him, the downpour of fireballs that had been cast in his direction were swept away, either splashing against the walls and pillars or were dissipated entirely. As Sasuke came out of his evasive movement in a tight roll, he saw a countless number of Fire Nation soldiers conglomerated where he and Toph had entered the chambers not minutes ago. He also realized that following his movement and break in concentration, Ozai no longer was bound by his shadow possession jutsu, and now seemed entirely bored with the situation.

The Fire Lord rubbed his wrists apathetically and gestured dismissively in Sasuke’s direction as the pounding of armored feet overtook the room. “This assassin broke into my chambers and attempted to kill me, and his compatriots have kidnapped Princess Azula. Destroy him and order the rest of your men, captain, to find my daughter and retrieve her.”

Sasuke had a single moment to turn and face the several dozen armored individuals whom had poured into the room before a rush of fire nearly overtook him. Turning and sprinting towards the stone wall he had erected to wall himself off from Toph and tore it down, blowing the pieces back over his shoulder to slow the progress of his pursuers. As he scrambled through the hole in the wall, he rolled to the side to recover his breath, he heard a great deal of noise behind him as the steady flow of soldiers moved to pursue.

Just before Sasuke turned to continue his escape, he heard the captain ask the Fire Lord, “Your highness, what should be done with the ones who took your daughter?”

“I believe they were two of my daughter’s friends turned traitor, and a young earthbender who is not to be underestimated. I injured one of them, but kill them all regardless, captain, I don’t want any survivors.” 

* * *

Before they even reached the back entrance of the palace, Azula slowly found herself returning to reality. She saw a piece of earth carrying the unconscious body of Ty Lee on her left as she felt a tight, firm grip around her wrist. She saw Mai to her left as well as both of them were being dragged along the dimly lit corridors by one of the last people she would expect.

Toph was pulling her along as though she were even younger than the girl in question; finally coming to her senses of what was happening, she dug her heels in and yanked her wrist free from the grip of the younger girl. Their small procession came to a halt as Azula looked frantically around at her situation, unsure of what to say. It took only a couple seconds before her opening and closing mouth finally thought of words to say and she pointed accusatorily at Toph. Her finger seemed to tremble beyond her control.

“You. You are the enemy! You break into my father’s palace and—”

Mai walked up beside her, looking into her eyes intently. “And saved us, Azula. Our lives our forfeit here.”

As she recalled what happened, Azula turned wildly towards where they had come, feeling a distinct numbness spreading throughout her fingers and feet. “We can go back. He’ll forgive us, I know he will. He’ll get Ty Lee to a doctor, he’ll let you go Mai, if we just… “

She trailed off as the absurdity of what she was saying settled in. In a turn, it was actually Toph who walked up and jabbed her in the stomach sharply. Wincing, Azula looked down angrily to see the girl directing her attention in her relative direction, a fed-up expression on her face.

“Is that what you think this is going to come down to? You trusting the good will of the maniac who was about to kill you for something he doesn’t even have proof will work? After everything you’ve done for him, all the trouble you’ve caused _us_ personally, he still is ready to trash you for what he thinks will be a greater advantage. I doubt it would have worked anyway, even if this stupid ritual is the real deal. He doesn’t love you, he never did. And so he would gain nothing by losing you, and he wouldn’t care one bit that it didn’t work regardless.”

Azula could think of nothing to say as each sentence that the small earthbender uttered smashed into her insides with an overwhelming force. Because no matter how she tried to spin it in her head, that Toph was an enemy, a child, someone who had no idea what this all meant, everything she said made too much sense.

Next to her, Mai put a hand on her shoulder tentatively and Azula recoiled, shouting now, “And you! You threw a knife at him! You could have _killed_ him!”

Mai shrugged, “Wish that I had.”

Azula swallowed in a desperate attempt to find more words to sling angrily, when she caught sight of the floating table of earth that hovered next to them at about chest level.

Ty Lee lay atop it, eyes closed; she looked very peaceful. A horrible circle of black extended from her left shoulder outward to stretch from her neck down to near her breast. It didn’t take a medical expert to tell that she was in something near critical condition.

As she stared transfixed at the barely breathing form of her friend, Mai’s voice seemed to echo from some distance away. “In his eyes, we’re all guilty now. You attacked him too, you’ll remember, Azula. I know it hurts, it probably all hurts more than I can imagine, but you have to be strong now. You can stay here and give up your life, or you can leave with us, and live. Find purpose again.”

_Purpose._

Was that what she wanted? What she needed? Her brother had sailed the entire ocean multiple times over in brash pursuit of his honor and pride, something Azula had never failed to joke loftily about as she enjoyed her position of power and luxury. Was this how Zuko had felt? No, Zuko had been better off than her. He had been graced with a goal, something to chase.

Unable to stop herself, she dropped to her knees and let out a strangled moan. She saw Mai and Toph react to her outburst with surprised confusion, both of them raising their hands slightly and stepping away. Azula couldn’t have cared less in that moment, the hurt was too much, the absolute pain of it, of not knowing what was for certain any longer. She wanted to close her eyes and wake up from this madness, this imposed torture, this…

“That’s it!” She leapt to her feet in exclamation and Toph and Mai stepped back again. The latter cocked her head inquisitively, still keeping a safe distance.

“What’s it, Azula?”

Hardly able to believe how simple it was to her now that the answer had been shown as perfect and pure as anything, Azula stared at her friend, almost unaware of the frenzied and mad smile that was likely stretching across her face.

“That Sasuke! This is one of his tricks, one of those… you know! What he did to the both of us at the prison! This isn’t real, none of it!”

She pointed to them one by one, a laugh bubbling up from her throat.

“You’re not real! And you’re not real! And you’re not real!”

The laughter rode a crescendo up into a mad shriek of hysteric mirth as she slammed her open palms against her chest.

“And _I’m_ not real! None of this has happened, any moment now I’ll wake up from this dream and then I’ll find that bastard and drown him in his own—”

Mai’s voice was so smooth and strong that even though it was much lower in volume, it cut through Azula’s ramblings with an overwhelming power.

“Azula. You’re not dreaming.”

The relief she had felt from her realization was already fading and she tried to reach out and grab it, cling to it and hold it tight to her mental consciousness, but it still continued to slip away. Her desperation peaking, Azula brought to life a handful of blue fire that roiled intensely over her palm. Toph took up a defensive stance immediately, but she needn’t have worried, Azula thought. She was going to disappear now, disappear just like the nothing she was.

“You’ll see!” she cried out as shook down the sleeve of her free arm. She looked at the smooth and perfect skin of her forearm and brought the flame to it in an instant. Immediately, pain flashed from the point of contact and spread through her entire body with a ravenous stinging. Mai shouted something, but Azula ignored her and kept the fire pressed against her skin, screaming through her clenched teeth as tears of pain blurred her vision.

_Any second now… any second, I’ll wake up, any second, any se—_

The pain in her arm disappeared and was replaced with a fresh aching as Mai tackled her to the ground, breaking her concentration and causing the flame to disappear.

“Azula, stop it!”

Unable to stand it any longer, Azula howled against her friend’s grip, thrashing about and trying to free herself. “You don’t get it! Let me go, I can get myself out, I just need to—”

“There is _nothing_ to escape from, Azula!” Mai managed to restrain her by the wrists and held her down. Panting, Azula looked up to see Mai’s face streaked with tears.

“This is it! This is what we’ve chosen, you can’t just take it back! Ty Lee could die because she chose to save _you_! We could all die now because of the choices we made back there!”

Swiftly, she pulled Azula up into a tight hug where she sat and shook with a sob against her. “This is what we have. Each other. Please… please believe me.”

The dream Sasuke had made for her was so real that Azula actually believed for a moment that this was indeed the real Mai. But no, the real Mai would never show this kind of emotion and Ty Lee would never have sacrificed herself for Azula’s sake, what had Azula ever done to warrant such selflessness on her behalf? No, none of it added up, it couldn’t add up.

“She’s right.”

At hearing the voice, Azula slammed her eyelids tightly shut. She knew this voice, and she didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t want to be told what she knew deep down she already believed to be true. But slowly, she opened her eyes and looked over Mai’s shoulder to see Sasuke standing in the hallway, looking battered. He looked as though he had sustained several burns, but he still looked entirely unfazed.

“This isn’t of my doing, princess. You want the truth, the reality of your world?”

After staring into his black eyes for a long moment, Azula nodded after which Sasuke simply directed his finger at Toph.

“She just told it to you. You’re unloved by your father, and you’re unloved by yourself. I know what you are, Azula. You’ve thrown aside every piece of your humanity, locked it away to hunt down some goal that you believe will grant you fulfilment. But now that you know that goal was for nothing, you don’t know what to think or what to believe.”

He closed the distance and crouched down near where Azula and Mai sat embracing one another. Mai pulled away slightly and directed a knife towards Sasuke in a defensive gesture but he paid it no mind.

“This is your reality. You can let it drown you, or you can throw it to the ground and stomp on it, and craft it anew.”

His words battered against her just as hard as Toph’s had; could he be right? Could he really be telling her exactly what she needed to hear? If she accepted the truth of what the three of them had just told her, there would be no going back, no living in further denial, only the pain of her every waking moment. It would gouge at her heart for the rest of her life, and she didn’t feel she would be able to bear it.

Suddenly, she smelled the crackling of a wood fire, heard the distant rush of waves and felt sand beneath her feet.

_“For so long I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy. I'm back home now, my dad talks to me. Ha! He even thinks I'm a hero. Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now, but I'm not. I'm angrier than ever and I don't know why!”_

And she broke, dropping her head into Mai’s chest and cried her defeat and her loss, letting it flow as freely as Zuko’s words had that night.

Because now, she knew just how he had felt.

* * *

Sasuke looked down at the collapsed and defeated young woman in front of him. Truly, it might have been pitiable had it not been so pathetic.

_Her luxury is gone. Her power is gone. This is what she has now, and she probably won’t even be able to deal with it._

Not that it mattered much to Sasuke. Half of his job was already done, and now came the difficult part. He turned his gaze up to speak to Toph who stood as rigid as a board and looking rather like she was hoping to not be noticed during this drama.

“The jig is up. Ozai has the royal guard back inside the palace and they’ll be working their way around towards us. We don’t have much time.”

Pulling Azula to her feet, Mai was the first to reply to him and he noted the open distrust she eyed him with. Still, her words spoke only to their situation and not their past. “This way should get us to the royal airships, but I don’t know how we’ll get enough altitude and speed in time to get away from the firebending they’re inevitably going to sling our way.”

Sasuke dismissed this. “You let me worry about that. Lead the way.”

Mai give him a last stink eye before jogging ahead, holding Azula’s arm to make sure she maintained pace. Toph and Sasuke followed behind her, the medical makeshift tablet hovering after them. He gave it a glance as they jogged onwards.

“We really need the extra baggage?”

Toph sniffed haughtily at him before replying. “Well, if I leave Ty Lee behind, Mai will stay behind for her, thus leaving the psychotic and likely unstable princess to us. Second, us bringing her along doesn’t lose us any time and lastly, if she’s against the Fire Lord now, she’d be a pretty strong asset to the team.”

She turned her head slightly in his direction and added, “All that, and if we leave her here, she’ll be executed as a traitor. It wouldn’t do you any harm to show some compassion every once in a while, you asshole.”

To this, Sasuke didn’t reply. Her points were valid enough and he had no time to open up a debate on empathy and morality.

After several more hallways, Mai threw a pair of wide doors and the full fury of the storm that Sasuke and Toph had only recently left roared at them again. Toph froze in place and Sasuke risked putting a hand on her shoulder reassuringly to spur her onwards. It fortunately worked and as a crack of thunder sounded overhead and with the rain and wind whipping at them, Mai had to shout to be heard.

“And I don’t suppose anyone took into account this storm either!”

With the arm that wasn’t supporting Azula, she gestured forward and Sasuke saw about a half dozen airships being tossed tightly around, their mooring keeping them mostly in place. They were about the same size as the military one that he and Toph had flown over, but were sleeker and their balloons were more streamlined. Starting towards the closest one, Mai called back, “We’ll need to get a fire going quick to start the burners, but if we can manage that relatively quickly, I know of a route where—agh!”

She shouted in pain as the shaft of an arrow planted in her upper back glistened in the torchlight from the palace and the lighting above them. Sasuke whirled to see several dark figures on the roof of the structure, armed with bows and pikes. Several arrows whizzed by them, burying themselves in the ground and bouncing off the stone steps.

Waving a hand, Sasuke shouted, “Move!!”

He raced forward to help Mai up the rest of the way while Toph levitated the slab carrying Ty Lee aboard the small basket. Grunting, Mai pushed him aside as he made to help her onboard. “Don’t treat me like some little girl.”

Toph leapt from the basket and smashed her feet heavily on the ground, raising a shield of pure earth to stave off the flurry of arrows sent their way.

“I heard that.”

Mai spared a smile at Toph’s comment and gave Sasuke another weak push, wincing as she did. “I’ll live. Got any fire for us?”

Drawing up his hands to perform the jutsu, Sasuke watched as a burst of blue flame sprang to life on the burner and he turned his head to see Azula looking at the fire she had started, wisps of sapphire heat still curving around her hand. She met his gaze and then looked away immediately.

“Sasuke!” He turned at the shout of his name to see Toph gesturing forward. Ahead of her, dozens of royal guards were spilling from the palace doors and heading their way.

“I can feel more of them coming around the sides of the palace too!”

He raced up beside her and threw several of his makeshift kunai to force back the archers. “How many?”

The panicked look on her face was enough and he turned to face the onslaught heading their way. Running up the barrier Toph had pulled from the ground, he leapt into the air, narrowing his eyes as fireballs shot past him.

_See how you like it._

“Amaterasu!!”

Melding with the darkness imposed by the storm, a wall of black fire followed his gaze from one end of the grounds to the other, blocking off most of the potential attackers and igniting those unlucky enough to be caught in its path. As Sasuke landed, he turned his hands and eyes up and the black fire swirled over the roof, wrapping up all the archers and pikemen he could see.

A large fireball rushed over his head and nearly struck the balloon of the airship that Mai was currently in the process of detaching from its mooring and Sasuke looked up to see several airships descending towards them. Clearly of military make, he saw long rods ascending from the casings of their balloons, clearly there to act as lightning rods and make them capable to operation even during a storm. They rocked in the heavy wind and rain, but still approached quickly, those aboard adding to the bombardment.

Sasuke leapt away to higher ground and made several quick symbols with his hands. “Water Release: Slicing Formation!”

At his command, much of the water falling from the sky coalesced to form a great many disks of pure water.

“Water Release: Rising Water Severing!”

Five more words and several hand symbols later, the discs rocketed towards the airships, slicing at the balloons, the baskets and those aboard. Sasuke saw several men fall from their positions, missing limbs and one of the airships began to spiral out of control, one of the discs clearly having hit a weak point in the balloon’s structure. As Sasuke prepared another volley, he looked down at a shrill cry.

Toph had been working her way back towards the balloon and had taken an arrow in both the midsection and the arm. She was somehow on her feet, but struggling to reach the basket as arrows and fireballs continued to whip past her. Sasuke made to jump down from his place on the higher ground, but as he watched, Azula leapt from her place aboard the airship and drew up a wall of blue flame and with a pushing motion, hurled it at the royal guard who were finding ways to work around the Amaterasu and continue to press their attack. Azula reached down and lifted Toph, carrying her back to the ship as her flames burned their victims to a crisp.

Sasuke cocked his head.

_Well, what do you know._

But as he looked on, he saw a spear of fire slam into Azula’s back as she hoisted Toph aboard; he saw her face clench in pain and she dropped to the ground and sent a flurry of flaming blue spheres in every which way, but Sasuke saw that there were just too many of them.

“Fire Rel—”

Was as far as he got before a massive fireball exploded behind him and threw him forward and onto the rain soaked stone. His Sharingan saved him from taking another hit as he rolled away, but he watched another fireball race towards the balloon before a giant piece of earth rushed up to deflect it in midair as Toph continued to assist even in her weakened state. Azula was trying to pull herself aboard despite her injury and was also blasting incoming projectiles from the air, her shining blue fire matching the lightning crackling above them.

Sasuke looked back to the enemy and saw just how overwhelmed they were. Despite his Amaterasu, soldiers were using their firebending to propel themselves over it and even with him tracking his black fire up to catch some of them, there were too many. On top of that, the airships continued to descend and more and more archers poured over the roof, adding their arrows to the chaos, invisible until their shafts bounced off the ground or stuck somewhere. One of which caught Sasuke in the chest and he gasped at the sudden trauma. He drew up his Chidori to lance at the archers, but before he could release it, another monstrous fireball crushed the ground in front of him and he was thrown backwards, landing heavily on the stairs.

There were just too many of them.

Looking over his shoulder as his vision swam hazily, he watched a struggling Toph and Azula lend their powers to keep their slowly rising airship from being struck, and he saw Mai grappling with the controls, trying to account for the multitude of dangers that made their takeoff near impossible. He looked back to the countless soldiers spilling towards them over the palace grounds and finally closed his eyes.

_No._

This was pathetic. He was going to be overcome by foot soldiers? He, Sasuke, was going to be taken down this easily? Hah.

Picking himself up, he put a hand above his head, fingers jutting skyward. All at once, the wind seemed to gather in a tight current, racing upwards and swirling into the clouds. Then, the clouds themselves tightened into a funnel, lightning flashing through the center of its point. The sky above them began to fade in its darkness, becoming overwhelmed by the flashing blue surges that conjoined thousands of feet above Sasuke's head.

The soldiers began to take notice and point, but it was already too late. Sasuke glared at them with furious eyes.

“Disappear with the thunder.”

His voice seemed to carry despite the low volume of his tone, echoing over the grounds. The royal guard seemed to fully understand that he was about to do _something_ and their attention turned from assailing the airship to flinging attacks his way, from fireballs to airships to arrows, the attacks were all blown away from him as the lightning peaked and gathered at his fingertips.

His eyes flashed. “KIRIN!!”

The very heavens themselves seemed to be split asunder and a piercing shine rolled from the very middle of the clouds, but the shine was more than just a luminescent beam. As it descended, it took on shape, beginning to spiral as it did. And by the time it was within a few hundred feet of the palace itself, the beaming blue lightning had formed into a dragon as wide as any of the airships with a furious, vicious head, its fangs rippling with lightning. It came to swirl above Sasuke’s head, the manifestation of his will prepared to release at his barest nudge.

For a moment, Sasuke took in the enormity of his creation and how it had stunned his entire opposition into complete immobility; the soldiers had stopped trying to clear his Amaterasu, the archers on the roof were no longer poised to fire, instead they were standing stock straight, looking upwards in awe. The airships had come to level over the back of the palace and they too had ceased their attack, all of them lit up by the blinding blue glow of his jutsu. This gave Sasuke great satisfaction as he flicked his fingers.

The Kirin rose up into the sky with a great deal more speed than it had descended, all the way to the height it had initially appeared at. Then, with a flash, it propelled itself towards the palace and touched down just where the doors fed into the grounds.

The resounding clap of thunder, and the sheer rush of energy was overwhelming as the world lit up as bright as day. Despite the blinding eruption of blue light, Sasuke was able to see soldiers tossed away as easily as dust in the wind, hurled far enough away that he lost sight of them. The half sphere that glowed for a single, overpowering moment blew away the back of the palace and the grounds themselves.

And just as quickly, the light faded and the drizzle of rain resumed as the only primely noticeable sound. Sasuke looked up above the massive smoldering crater that now occupied most of what had just recently been the proving grounds for dozens upon dozens of royal soldiers, and noticed that the thunderclouds above were beginning to part, giving way to the stars.

Then those stars faded to black as Sasuke’s consciousness shut down and he collapsed into oblivion.

* * *

“No, you’re not pulling your arms back far enough, you have to let them serve as your conductors, they’re not just there to direct!”

Aang sighed as Zuko’s barked instruction echoed loudly in his tired ear. They had been up since the very crack of dawn to resume his training, and Aang was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

He hadn’t slept well the previous night; he had dreamt of a pair of dark red eyes staring endlessly into him while he ran upon ceaseless darkness, unable to move or discern where he was. All that had been present were the eyes staring into him and provoking him with screams of agony from the person he cared most about. He had tried to find Katara in all that blackness, to try and help her and keep her from whatever pain was ailing her, but he could do nothing more than hear her. He had awoken a couple hours before sunrise and had chosen not to fall back asleep.

Zuko had almost seemed to perfectly match his rising and as Aang had gone to take an early morning bathroom break, the Fire Nation prince had confronted him and stated the urgency that they continue training immediately. And so here they were now, whipping fire around themselves as the sun barely managed to peak over the top of the canyon above them.

“Pay attention!”

As Aang drifted carelessly through his motions, Zuko angrily tossed a fireball at his feet, singing his toes and making him jump back in surprise. He looked up angrily at his teacher, “What’s your problem?! It’s not my fault you decided to get us on this before anyone’s even really awake!”

Zuko jabbed a finger in his direction. “You’re making excuses!”

“You’re being crazy!”

Just when things might have turned a shade uglier, Katara walked up the stairs to the plateau where they had been practicing. “That’s enough, both of you!”

Aang couldn’t help but feel his stomach flip as it always did when he saw her, though this usually pleasant feeling was accompanied by something akin to distant dread as he remembered his dream. Hair flying about as she looked angrily between the both of them, both Zuko and Aang immediately fell to acting like children squabbling before their mother, fingers pointing and all.

“He started it, we shouldn’t have to be doing this this early--!”

“He’s being unreasonable, this is too important to shirk--!”

Her expression darkened and they both closed their mouths wisely. “I saw the whole thing, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what the problem is here.”

She walked briskly towards them, but slowed as she neared Zuko. Her face softened a fair bit and she put her hand on his shoulder.

“I know what you’re thinking about. And I have some idea what you’re feeling. But this isn’t how to deal with it. If you need to talk, then let’s talk, but you can’t go burying your head in firebending and expect that to take all your fear away.”

Katara seemed to have hit the nail on the head and Zuko sighed, the fight seeming to drain from him as his shoulders slumped; he looked past her to give Aang an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Aang… Katara’s right.”

He slowly sat himself down on the stone floor and Katara followed suit, putting an arm around his shoulder and pulling him to her. Aang felt a sudden urge to blow Zuko clean off the plateau.

“By now, my sister would have long since reached the capital. She would have been summoned by my father, and he would have… done it.”

Katara squeezed his shoulder lightly. “Sasuke said he was going to get to her in time.”

Zuko looked to her with desperate eyes. “Katara, do you really believe him when he said that? I’m not great with people, but I know you are. You can read them well, and it wasn’t hard for me to see the distrust you were showing towards him from the moment he arrived to the moment he left with the airship.”

He bowed his head and dug his finger into the stone distractedly.

“You don’t think he’s coming back, and you sure don’t think he actually went to try and warn Azula.”

Katara seemed to think long and hard about this as Zuko continued to pick absently at the ground before speaking slowly as though afraid that she might stumble over her words and say something she didn’t want to.

“Maybe I don’t. And I hate to spoil your evaluation of me, but you’ve got it wrong. I’m terrible with people.”

Both Aang and Zuko looked to her, utterly bemused and she grinned at their expressions. “Honestly, I’m not. I can never bring myself to trust those I inevitably find out are the most loyal people of all, and I go trusting those who ought not to be just because of a notion I get about them that I have absolutely nothing to back up.”

She tilted her head to the side, looking up thoughtfully.

“So, maybe I don’t like the looks of Sasuke. I think he’s dangerous, he’s a pure defilement of the natural order, and I don’t really want him around. But considering all the times I’ve been wrong, I see no reason why that couldn’t happen here.”

Something very close to a smile touched at the corners of Zuko’s mouth.

“I hope you’ll forgive me when I say I hope you are.”

She smiled at him and for the second time in recent memory, Aang felt a surge of jealousy course through him. There was no time to reflect on it though as another voice joined their small congregation.

“Guys, guys, guys, I need to talk to—”

As Sokka reached the top of the stairs, he misplaced his foot and tripped over himself, falling spectacularly to skid several feet before stopping.

Unable to help himself, Aang finished Sokka’s sentence for him. “—the ground?”

Both Zuko and Katara laughed at his joke, but Sokka had no time for it and pushed himself furiously to his feet. “This is serious, you three!”

Katara waved a hand at her brother as though granting permission.

“Please don’t leave us in suspense any longer.”

Clearly fed up with the lack of respect he was getting, Sokka didn’t waste any time.

“Toph’s missing.”

This was enough to immediately put a damper on the whole affair and Zuko and Katara got to their feet quickly, the former holding up his hands as if to try and stop himself from getting carried away too quickly.

“Are you sure she’s missing? She said yesterday she was going to go exploring the temple’s more deserted passages and was going to be gone for a while.”

Sokka shook his head, his brows furrowed with worry. “She would never leave for this long. I didn’t see her when everyone turned in last night and no one’s seen her since yesterday when we—”

The pieces all fell into place for the four of them at once and Aang’s eyes widened. “When we saw Sasuke off.”

Katara had a hand over her mouth. “She wouldn’t.”

Spinning to look out towards the sky as though expecting to see the airship that Sasuke had departed on, Zuko shook his head. “I think she might have.”

He turned to look back at them.

“Of everyone, she seemed to be the least into him, didn’t trust him, didn’t like the looks of him. Who’s to say she didn’t want to follow along and make sure he stayed in line?”

Sokka drew his hands through his hair, trying to rationalize what was being said.

“That doesn’t make sense. If Sasuke had taken a path over land, then maybe. But we’re talking about a small airship and flying the whole way there. It took Toph forever to get used to flying on Appa and she said she only did because she was able to trust him. She _still_ hates flying and has that awful fear of heights. Why would she throw that aside and leave with Sasuke, and _not_ tell us?”

His sister gave him a disapproving look.

“Wouldn’t be the first time in recent memory someone’s beat feet without the approval of the group.”

Sokka met her look with a snarky one of his own and Aang walked between them, intent on keeping the focus on Toph.

“Guys, come on. You guys can’t go butting heads now, not when Toph’s missing.”

Zuko walked up to stand near the three of them. “What can we even do?”

Completely deflated by this impossible question, Aang leaned on his staff, feeling helpless once again.

“I don’t know… what about—”

The powerful and commanding voice of Hakoda echoed over the temple grounds then, carrying loudly as he relayed a very pertinent piece of information.

“Airship on the horizon!! I repeat, airship on the horizon!!”

The four of them exchanged looks and without another word, they sprinted for the stairs.

* * *

Zuko hadn’t even been thinking about how it was going to feel, no matter the outcome. As he climbed aboard Appa alongside Aang, Katara and Sokka, all that mattered to him was that he was going to know, he was going to see the result of whatever had occurred the previous night. He wasn’t considering possibilities, the potential cases that may have arisen, he just had to know.

Appa soared out from under the canyon to land above in the grassy field where they had seen Sasuke off the previous day. The airship was already touched down, the maroon of its coloration clashing with the swaying bright green of the grass that almost seemed to shine on its own with the morning sun. And as Zuko nearly fell off Appa in a heap in his desperation to talk to Sasuke and as what had happened, the world seemed to draw to a sudden standstill.

Because Zuko wasn’t looking at Sasuke.

He was looking at his sister.

He stared into her perpetually hateful eyes that seemed to glow of an emotion he didn’t think he had ever seen in Azula before. Her royal garb had burns and strips of it missing and her usually well kept hair was down around her shoulders being tossed in the wind. It looked as though she had just been through a war.

“Zuko, get back!!” was all he heard before Sokka took his sister’s command to heart and wrapped his arms around Zuko's chest, dragging him backwards as Aang and Katara rushed past him to adopt defensive stances. Azula simply regarded them as Katara snapped at her.

“I’m not sure what it is you’ve been told, but you’re not welcome here.”

Zuko struggled against Sokka's grip, “Katara, wait, don’t--"

He wasn’t paid any mind as Aang added his thoughts to the situation. “If Sasuke really brought you back here, he's even more dangerous than I thought.”

Azula looked between the both of them before pointing a thumb over her shoulder.

“Sasuke, had nothing to do with it. She's the one who told us where you were.”

Two more people exited the airship and Zuko's heart did a furious backflip. Mai walked down the ramp, carrying Toph in her arms; the relief Zuko felt at seeing the both of them was quickly overrun with anger at seeing what appeared to be wounds on both of their bodies, Toph looking the worse for wear. Katara let out a short cry at the sight and rushed to them, all confrontational motivation thrown aside. As she reached Mai, she looked down, eyes wide as Aang cautiously walked up behind her.

“What happened?!” she shouted towards Azula who didn’t so much as look at her, but spoke, not addressing anyone in particular.

“The royal guard attacked us as we tried to leave. Toph and Mai both were hit with arrows.”

As though brought back by the talking over her, Toph grunted and shifted in Mai's arm before rolling out of them to land shakily on the ground.

“I’m fine, but Katara you need to get on the airship, Ty Lee got hit real bad.”

Zuko's head reeled.

_All three of them are here??_

Katara rushed up the ramp without a word and Aang took her place in front of Toph. He looked to struggle for a good moment as to what to say before frowning.

“That was a very dumb thing to do.”

In her usual show of affection, she punched him in the stomach and he doubled over, coughing.

“Good to see you too, twinkle-toes.”

As the both of them shared a gentle embrace as to not stress her wounds further, Zuko finally shook himself free from Sokka who had more or less given up on holding him and was looking himself quite like he was trying to wrap his head around the situation. Zuko closed the distance halfway between Mai and his sister, entirely unsure himself of what to say.

Mai broke the silence for him. “You look better since becoming a traitor.”

Her smile was enough to draw one of his own across his face; he shrugged off her joke with one of his own. “I have to wonder if that won't apply similarly to you. Considering…”

He trailed off and they both looked to Azula who still wasn't looking at anyone. She spoke with the same flat intonation he always had remembered hearing, but the telltale smirk was long gone from the corners of her mouth.

“Don't assume this changes anything between us, Zuko. Father's attempt on my life has only emboldened by belief that the Fire Nation must take control of the Four Nations.”

She very clearly struggled on the next few words. “Under new leadership if necessary.”

Nearly unable to believe what he was hearing, Zuko looked weakly back to Mai. “... What happened… ?”

Before she could reply to him, Katara shouted from the other side of the burner aboard the airship.

“Zuko, Sokka, I need your hands!”

Noting the urgency in her voice, Zuko raced up the ramp behind Sokka who was clearly happy for something to do.

Ty Lee was a brutal sight. She had clearly taken a very intense fire bolt to the shoulder, and the resulting damage had spread across her upper body on the side where the attack had impacted. It wasn't hard to tell that, at its point, the fire had punched clean through her body, skin, muscle and all. Zuko swallowed and stared at his childhood friend as Katara looked her over with a swift eye.

“Are… are you going to be able to help her?”

Katara's face was grim, but determined. “I’ll try, but we need to get her down to a stable water source. I need you both to carry her and get her aboard Appa; we'll take her down as quick as we can.”

Sokka muttered to himself as he walked to Ty Lee's other side. “She tries to kill us a hundred times and now we're going to try and save her life… not like princess homicide literally isn't also here… no, makes sense…”

“Sokka!”

He raised his hands, “Yeah, yeah, I got it. Alright, Zuko, on three…”

They lifted her carefully from the floor of the airship and carried her off towards Appa. But it was not lost on Zuko that Katara was staring intently at the last passenger aboard, who Sokka had missed completely, eyes closed and leaning against the burner. And despite his wildly mixed feelings, Zuko couldn’t help but feel the tugs of gratitude towards the resting Sasuke.

* * *

He dreamt and remembered.

Names and relationships still danced outside his reach, but he saw who he had been, who he was, and what he had done.

He saw the bodies of his parents and the cold face of his brother. He saw his childhood smashed to pieces and all his naivety dashed to the wayside. He watched himself grow and train with a single purpose in mind, a purpose that took him away from everything else, friends, happiness, life itself. A drive was all he had and all he needed. He saw himself abandon any chance for peace and confront his brother and finally take his revenge. And he saw the agony that had flooded him upon realizing what his brother had truly hidden away.

How his actions had ultimately been for a blind goal, with nothing past it and nothing between. He felt the pain that had ravaged him those days and while nothing told him how he had come to leave that life and be here, he found himself occupied with quite enough. There was nothing he could remember beyond the barest outline, but it was all still there, the particulars didn’t even seem to matter much anymore.

He dreamt and wished he hadn’t remembered.

Wished he _couldn’t_ remember.

* * *

Katara had to remind herself to let her arms come uncrossed occasionally to keep them falling asleep, but she found that such a stance was all she could really manage given their current company.

She sat around a fire, with Aang and Sokka to her left and right, Azula and Mai across from them, with Toph and Zuko sitting between the two groups on the other edge of their circle. Katara was still struggling very hard to make sense of what had happened; after they had brought Ty Lee down for treatment, she had worked meticulously for several hours with the aid of her father and Aang, the former because of his experience with wartime wounds and the latter due to his waterbending. Following the assurance that she would just need rest to recover appropriately, the had turned her attention to Toph, Mai and, very reluctantly Azula. The first two had only been sporting arrow wounds which had been treatable enough, but Azula had taken a nasty hit to the center of her back and had taken more time. Katara had found healing the princess’s wounds less than desirable work, and judging by the look that had occupied Azula’s face when she had been forced to bear her back to Katara’s bending, she had been no fan either.

Katara had been surprised though when she had worked on Toph and Mai; their arrow wounds had been very lightly cauterized, with a very delicate touch to stop bleeding and potential infection, and to her knowledge, there had only been one person aboard that airship awake who could have performed this care.

_Azula, caring about anyone… I’d sooner believe Appa can prepare fine dining._

Now, they were doing their best to come to terms with what had happened, to get everything out in the open. Mai and Toph had done most of the talking, with Katara or Sokka occasionally interjecting with a question. Aang remained as silent as Azula did, though Katara could tell his mind was racing.

The story that was regaled was a doozy, even by Team Avatar standards. Sasuke’s ridiculous plan of skydiving through a storm, Fire Lord Ozai’s ultimate betrayal of his own flesh and blood, and the dramatic escape that had followed were so engrossing that Katara found on more than one occasion that she needed to remind herself just who they were sitting across from.

“… wait, so I’m sorry,” Sokka interjected as Mai spoke of the difficulty getting the airship prepared while being fervently assaulted by the royal guard, “how exactly did you get out of there if there really were, as you put it, hundreds of soldiers?”

Mai massaged the area that Katara had touched up with her healing and said almost absently, “Sasuke blew them up with a lightning dragon.”

There was an appropriate pause as those who hadn’t witnessed the feat gaped; Toph turned her head in Mai’s direction.

“Wait, _that’s_ what happened?”

Mai gave her a look. “Yeah, I suppose not being able to see probably made that whole sequence of events a little confusing.”

Toph shrugged and looked at her feet.

“I just knew we were getting hammered with arrows and fireballs, I was just trying to protect the ship when I got hit. I remember it getting very warm and I heard Sasuke yell something before it got really hot, and really loud. I passed out for a while once we got cruising after that.”

Katara shook her head and looked down as well, trying to grapple with her feelings towards Sasuke. He was absent from the campfire as well, resting in a different room within the temple, separate from the one Ty Lee was recovering in, at Azula’s request. He hadn’t been badly hurt, in fact, considering that he had taken on what might have been a sizeable chunk of the royal army and the Fire Lord to boot, his condition was rather miraculous.

_Whatever he had done… this dragon he summoned… made? Whatever it was must have been enough to take him out._

Aang piped up for the first time since the story had begun.

“When you say dragon… what do you mean?”

Mai shook her head as she clearly tried to recall details. “It’s hard to say, we were all so caught up, I don’t really know. Once moment though, the storm clouds above us sort of seemed to spiral and the lightning all glowed towards the center of it. I remember seeing Sasuke then holding up his hand and then that spiral opened up in the middle and a dragon shaped entirely by lightning came down. It floated around long enough for everyone to get a good look at it, and then, like Toph says, Sasuke yelled something and it just flew up and smashed into the back of the palace. Blew every soldier, every guard, every sharpshooter clean away like they were nothing.”

She snapped to emphasize her point before turning to Aang.

“To answer what I think you’re asking though, no, I don’t think it was an actual dragon… more like something he crafted with the lightning in order to wield it.”

She rested her forearms on her knees, hands clasped tightly together. “It was big. I really couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Azula’s made some pretty impressive stuff with her lightning, but this… it was like he was controlling the storm itself.”

Seeming to remember something, she added, “After the dragon touched down and Sasuke passed out, the clouds just seemed to dissipate. The biggest storm we’ve ever seen at the capital, and it just disperses. I think he drained it or something.”

Katara considered this as Sokka prodded, “Then?”

Mai gestured around her. “Then that’s about it. Toph woke up a few minutes later and told us where you were hidden out. I knew where the Air Temple was so I was able to get us over some hours later.”

She finished rather anticlimactically, and the weight of the story settled in. Sokka blew out a long ‘whew’ and put his hands behind his head.

“Wowza. Well, I have to say, for all of Zuko’s insisting, I never would have guessed anything would come of this.”

Turning her piercing gaze towards him, Mai asked, “What do you mean?”

Realizing they had a part of their own story to tell, Katara decided to be open about this particular bit. She had no intention of getting too friendly with any of the three Fire Nation women who had joined them in recent hours, but this was hardly something they needed to hide.

“Sasuke’s first memories of our world began in a Fire Temple the Fire Lord visited some weeks ago. He recalls briefly waking up there and being bested by Ozai where he then found himself waking to being a prisoner at Boiling Rock and from there, well, I think you know a chunk of his story.”

Katara was surprised to see the dark looks cross over both Mai and Azula’s faces at this remark and she coughed somewhat awkwardly before continuing. “After the prison escape, they came back here and he was able to remember hearing about some ritual that Ozai was looking into, something about Sozin?”

Zuko spoke up, “The Ritual of Sozin’s Rites.”

She nodded in his direction. “Yes, that. There were some writings here in the Air Temple that, while not giving a ton of specifics, outlined basic practices and teachings of other Nations. Through this, we were able to find that Ozai intended to kill Azula, based mostly on deduction.”

While she talked, she paid careful attention to both Mai and Azula. Mai was listening attentively, but Azula was frustratingly impossible to read. She had been sitting as rigid as a statue since they had sat down, her only words since they had come down to the temple being a snarky remark about the state of the place and requesting that Ty Lee not be placed in the same room as Sasuke. Other than that, she had been entirely silent and was not staring perpetually to her right, looking flat into the wall as though expecting it to make a more conversational partner.

Upon coming down with Ty Lee and sending Appa back up for the others, Katara had rushed about before beginning the healing process, ordering Chit Sang to take the kids and Haru and move to another part of the temple grounds. Her father she had no choice in showing, but she didn’t want any one else near Azula, but the general aura that the princess was giving off was very odd.

Her antisocial tendencies towards them notwithstanding, she had composed herself very differently from the last time Katara had seen her. She seemed two seconds away from exploding into a rage, but her eyes seemed to say that said rage would burn out as quickly as it began. She had no interest in Aang, the person she had been hunting for months, and had little reaction to seeing her sworn enemies. Ultimately, Katara saw defeat in Azula’s eyes and more than that, a sense that she was entirely lost. She didn’t seem very aware of her surroundings, only seeming to hear certain things and her movements were sporadic and flinching.

And Katara truly wasn’t sure which version of Azula she found more worrying.

Toph continued in her place as she cut off a moment, looking anxiously at Azula, waiting for any sign of life.

“Zuko started off about how he couldn’t just let his sister walk into the slaughter like that without at least a warning and how he needed to go back and yadda, yadda. We were trying to convince him not to try some crazy mission to save his sister, who wanted him just as dead as the Fire Lord did mind you, when Sasuke walked up and said he’d go and deliver the message.”

She dug her bare toes into the ground, a common habit of hers. “I think most of us weren’t sure what to think, but we sent him off anyway, anything to keep Zuko training Aang I guess. I didn’t believe that he was going to the capital and I snuck aboard and well, you heard that part of the story on.”

Mai took this all in before sitting back with a thoughtful look before flicking her gaze up.

“So, Sasuke… what’s his deal? What’s he after?”

Sokka, Aang and Katara exchanged looks, clearly looking for the best course of action to take for this rather dubious line of questioning. Katara could see Zuko opening his mouth, clearly ready to tell all to the woman he fancied as his girlfriend and she spoke over him. “We don’t know. He claims that he’s here to help Aang defeat the Fire Lord, and that doing so will help bring back his memory.”

Holding up a hand, Mai looked between them all. “Wait. He has memory loss?”

Sokka nodded. “Everything before his run in with ol’ Ozai, dust in the wind.”

Mai nodded slowly, clearly taking this in. Katara could tell she had very mixed feelings on Sasuke as she did herself. When Mai finally spoke, she seemed distantly impressed. “He’s one of the best firebenders I’ve ever seen, in regards to pure power. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Aang opened his mouth and Katara, having a pretty good idea what he was going to reveal, put a hand on his thigh and dug her nails into him as much as she dared. He tightened in pain, but got the hint and slammed his mouth shut.

It seemed an odd thing to keep reserved, but opening up about Sasuke’s true array of abilities hardly seemed necessary. Especially after all the ground they had just covered.

Seeming to sense a lull, Mai stretched, wincing. “Well, if we’re done for now, anyone know a spot a girl could get a nap?”

Zuko stood up so fast that he nearly fell over as he moved to help Mai. As the pair of them moved towards the innards of the temple, Sokka whispered to Katara. “I think I’ll go and keep an eye on them.”

She replied with a small smile, “Careful you don't see more than you bargained for.”

His cheeks flushed and he rose to his feet to follow Zuko and Mai at a respectable distance. Toph got to her feet then.

“I’m going to check on Sasuke and Ty Lee.”

Katara had kept her eyes locked on Azula and she spoke pointedly to Aang as her gaze didn't shift. “Aang, why don’t you go with her?”

He turned to her with an air of confusion, “Me? Why would--"

She turned her eyes down for a single moment and was able to transfer her insistence in just that once second. Aang jumped to his feet rather as Zuko had.

“Yep, no, great idea, awesome, really.”

He might have continued to look incredibly conspicuous if Toph hadn’t dragged him off then. Somehow, she was better at reading a room than anyone Katara knew.

As the footsteps faded away, Katara found that she had gotten what she wanted, but also felt a great rise in anxiety as being alone with Azula was hardly cause for celebration.

_Relax. She's not going to try anything, why would she?_

Azula surprised her then by being the first of them to talk, the first words she had uttered since they had sat down.

“Whatever you're going to ask, do so. I’d rather be left alone, but I can tell you’ve got something on your mind.”

Katara found it very easy then to throw aside her apprehension as her usual feelings for Azula came rolling back in. This despicable girl, even in the state she was in, still condescending, still demanding, still infuriating to no end… it was all Katara could do to try and keep from raising her voice.

“Just because some of ours saved you, don't think that makes you welcome here. When Ty Lee has recovered, we'll have a proper sit down about what’s to be done about you and your lot.”

At last, Azula turned to meet Katara's eyes, her gaze dark and penetrating. “Oh, what an adorable idea. Is that really all you do when we're not on your tail? Sit around and talk? No wonder the Avatar is still so unprepared to meet my father, you’re all too busy forming committees then to actually accomplish anything.”

Her biting voice was enough to knock Katara into silence for a moment. How could she have expected anything different? No matter the situation, Azula was Azula, still a stunted and vile person.

Keeping down a snapping reply, Katara tried to approach it somewhat more diplomatically. “We will consider your circumstances obviously. Having your own father try to kill you would be hard on anyone, even you.”

She couldn’t keep that particular comment to herself and silently cursed herself as she watched Azula raise an eyebrow in acceptance of her accidental challenge. The princess rose to her feet, crossing her arms in a mirror of Katara's own stance.

“I don't need your pity, and I don’t need some half-assed psychoanalysis. Don't think that just because of what I endured I’m not still entirely loyal to my nation. If my father has deemed the only way to move forward is killing me, I will pursue the advancement of the Fire Nation in my own way.”

Katara wasn't able to hold back now. “Then why not just go to him and kneel like the slave you are?! I noticed when Mai was talking about your meeting the Fire Lord, any detail of your reaction to his desire were pretty absent. Almost as though she didn’t want to say that if she and Ty Lee hadn’t been there, you would have just let yourself die then and there.”

Azula said nothing and Katara drove on, “For all that you command and for all the people you view as beneath you, you've never once stopped to think for yourself, have you? Forever your father's puppet.”

This seemed to snap something in Azula's restraint and in a flash, the two of them were nose to nose.

“Don't speak to me of puppets! All you people are doing are blindly clinging to some prophecy that the Avatar will being balance! If you had any brains about you instead of blind faith, you would have gone after my father _months_ ago, but no, one failed attempt and its hide until the last possible second before Sozin's Comet arrives!”

“And what will you do, your highness?” Katara snapped back. “Wait for someone else to do the work for you and then swoop in for the throne? Not so confident without the army you inherited at your back is it?”

Azula laughed then, a harsh and ringing sound. “You're a farce, waterbender. I can see it in your eyes, all you are is scared.”

She turned away and walked towards a deserted part of the temple before stopping and throwing a last remark over her shoulder. “Oh, and saying that it was Zuko's idea to have me rescued? If you’re going to lie about anything, I think you could stand to try a little harder.”

The princess resumed walking haughtily away.

“Come get me when Ty Lee is awake. Until then, please don't bother me with that superiority complex you’re hiding behind.”

As the princess stalked off, Katara stood shaking for a moment, quite unable to form words before finally shouting after her, “Superiority complex?? Are you serious?!”

Azula seemed to be done with their brief confrontation however and had already disappeared into the depths of the upper temple. Huffing, Katara resisted the childish urge to stomp her foot before spinning to go check on her patients. As she descended the stairs however, disbelieving laugh escaped her throat as she reflected on the fact that they were now sharing a living space with three women who had done everything in their power to kill them and capture Aang for months.

_I’d say stranger things have happened… but I’m really not sure they have._

* * *

Gossip, as in any part of the world, was just as powerful a phenomenon in the Fire Nation capital as it would have been anywhere else. When a singular merchant spoke to his friends how he had seen a dragon descend from the storm clouds the previous evening and attack the royal palace, he had been met with initial eye-rolling, but pieces of reality began to slowly give credence to his claim.

Firstly, the storm the previous night had been truly remarkable, and for it to have been brought about by supernatural forces might not have been farfetched. Secondly, there had supposedly been several bodies that were being cleaned up late in the night, lying around the palace walls as though they had fallen from the wall all at once. And with the palace being on total lockdown since the storm, with not even the regular suppliers allowed inside, the assumption that something very odd had indeed happened began to spread throughout the capital. From those passing one another in the streets, to family members taking the words home, the stories spread and flourished.

It was in a popular tavern that one of the merchant's friends seized the opportunity to take the spotlight when he heard the stories being passed amongst his fellow regulars. He leapt onto a table and began to regale an exaggerated version of the story he had heard just that morning, very sure to include the dragon that had been the climatic detail. The dozens of patrons watched him intently, but by the end, most were rolling their eyes and laughing at this mystery dragon, a species that hadn’t been seen alive in many years. But as they returned to their drinks, many of them felt the inkling of doubt creeping in their guts.

The merchant's friend, happy with his brief glory, took to the streets as night fell, sufficiently satisfied and buzzed. Had he not been so high on his own success, he might have noticed that a figure, one who had been tucked away in the corner of the tavern out of sight, had followed him. As he passed by an alley, he had been lifted cleanly off his feet and thrown against the wall of the alley, away from the eyes of any one else walking those streets that late.

Immediately, the merchant's friend fell into a slurred babble, “Look, buddy, you don't want any trouble, I don't even got much money on me, and my friend's a firebender, he'll--"

The figure's tone was low and overpowering, plenty enough to cut off the man's rambling.

“A dragon came from the storm you said?”

“Wha…?”

The figure pulled the man away from the wall and slammed him into it again with renewed intensity. “Your story. The dragon.”

Catching on and coughing in pain, the merchant's friend waved his hand desperately.

“Yeah that’s what he told me! Bright blue dragon, said it could have been made from lightning itself?”

“And it attacked the palace.”

“I’m just telling you what I heard! And it sort of makes sense, they closed off all roads around the palace and no one's allowed inside! There was talk they were cleaning up some bodies, Kash Reen got beat up by some soldiers for talking about it at the market today!”

This was seemingly all the stranger needed to hear and he dropped the man heavily to the ground who reached as his assaulter walked away. He would pass out in that alley shortly thereafter, but got sight of the stranger's odd garb before he lapsed into unconsciousness, quite the odd black cloak with red clouds decorating it.


	6. Chapter 6

** Chapter 6: Half-Truth **

Fitful rest finally being enough to rouse him, Sasuke snapped to consciousness with a sharp intake of breath and he stared at the dark ceiling above, trying to regain his grasp on reality. Because as he found, the memory he knew that he had regained had already receded to nothing more than feelings and vague concepts.

_No._

He violently assaulted the recesses of his sleep ridden mind, reaching for any piece that he was still able hold onto, but only the gentlest ideas remained. His brother, betrayed, his family, dead, his life, completely and entirely--

“You should try and slow your breathing down, you sound like you’re about to have a panic attack.”

Sasuke took stock of his surroundings as he heard the voice pipe up. He was sitting in what might have long ago been the private study of some scholar, bookshelves lining the walls that looked as dusty as time itself. A desk had been cleared for him to lay on, various padding laid beneath to make him more comfortable as he had rested. Light streamed in distantly from somewhere far off, illuminating the room just slightly. Toph was sitting on the desk’s side and had a hand on his chest; he distantly noted that her touch was vaguely comforting.

When he didn’t reply, she added lightly, “Or, do have a panic attack and make another giant lightning monster.”

He listened to her words a few times over in his head before realizing what she was referring to. Kirin had been called into action, he did remember that. But how he had come to be here was another story.

Sasuke grit his teeth; he was tired of passing out and being helpless to the whims of others.

“What happened after that?”

Toph shrugged. “We flew home. Azula hauled you aboard the airship and we took it back here. Lucky you did what you did, along with taking out those guards, I think you actually dispersed the storm as well. Do you come by all that skill naturally or did you…?”

She trailed off as he brushed her hand aside and got to his feet. There were a great many things on his mind and he was rather indifferent to her line of questioning.

_How to proceed… I’ll need to leave as soon as possible… but where do I even start? As if any of these people will be willing to so much as give me directions when I tell them where I’m going… still, if I’m going to have to make off with their airship again, no reason to not come clean._

Without a word to Toph, he made to walk out of the room; she called after him.

“Hey, Sasuke?”

He granted her the diligence of stopping to hear her out.

“What?”

Toph looked uncomfortable as he looked back to her in the dim light of the room. “Something’s wrong, I know there is. You don’t feel right.”

He blinked in annoyed bemusement, “I don’t feel ‘right’? What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know!” she shouted, suddenly becoming very defensive. “When we went to go the Fire Nation capital, you were… I don’t know, you felt calm, you felt in control. Now, I can feel you through the earth and you’re all messed up. Your heartrate is wacked up, your breathing is coming in weirdly and I can tell even from your voice.”

Her voice dropped several levels of volume and she turned her head towards her feet.

“Please tell me what’s wrong.”

Her perception was truly remarkable. Sasuke hadn’t even stopped to think about how his body might be reacting to his emotions, but her relaying of the information was entirely accurate as he gave himself a once over. Taking a long calming breath to steady himself, he considered ignoring her and walking out of the room. But as he looked at the girl who had not only fought by his side, but done so with an entirely impressive display, he opted to be at least somewhat honest.

“I know what I have to do. When I slept, I remembered things. I remembered my brother, and how he had been used, how he had been forced to commit the most awful sins for the good of higher ups that spared him no care. I remembered what that did to him, and what it did to me. I don't remember else except what was done to us.”

Her unseeing eyes were directed his way and he could sense her apprehension as he heard his own voice growing darker with anger.

“So… what are you going to do, Sasuke?”

As the clarity of this answer resounded beautifully inside his head, Sasuke let the corners of his mouth draw back in a smile he knew she couldn’t see, even if that clarity was still so vague and unformed.

“I’m going to take revenge.”

As he left the room, Toph didn’t follow him. After a dozen paces, he thought about going back and making sure she was okay herself, before shaking off this foolish musing and continuing on his way. He had no time to be growing attached to a blind girl.

* * *

Utterly worried by what he might face when he approached her, Zuko walked slowly up behind his sister.

Azula had found her way to one of the higher points of the temple grounds, one that was nearly at ground level and had spent the majority of the afternoon staring off towards the horizon, or something Zuko couldn’t see. He had walked by her several times to see if she would move, but she never did, just stood at the edge of the temple grounds that dropped off into space and gazed outward. She was wearing an extra outfit that Katara had lent her as the hole that had been scorched open on her royal dress was hardly appropriate to wear.

Zuko wasn’t even entirely sure what he wanted to talk to her about. There were things he wanted to say in comfort, things he wanted to say in anger, even things he wanted to say in hate. She was his sister, but he hadn’t forgotten how carelessly she had toyed with his emotions, how she had used him, and how she had attacked their uncle. That last thought was almost enough to draw fire to Zuko’s palms in a rage, but he kept it down. Mentally steeling himself, he decided to let his heart do that talking; from there, what happened, happened.

He had only taken a single step before Azula’s voice sliced through the gentle breeze that flowed through the temple as efficiently as a hot knife through butter.

“You know, Zuzu, if you’re trying to sneak up behind me for a kill, I would recommend not making multiple noisy passes and letting me know you’re practically stalking me.”

Zuko swallowed and straightened his back. “I was not stalking you. And I don’t want to kill you.”

Azula turned to face him then, typical smirk present on her face. Zuko hated that look, it always came when she would try and bait him into believing something or doing something foolish. He didn’t need to be told that his sister was more cunning than him, but he also had no intention of falling for her plays today. He had things that perhaps less that she needed to hear, and more that he needed to say.

Her voice echoed harshly around him and he had to resist wincing at her tone.

“Then I recommend you speak your peace, brother. I’m not in the mood for a lecture, if that’s why you’re here.”

Zuko threw the words at her before he could even think about it.

“Why are _you_ here?!”

She stared at him and he took that as good a sign as any to continue. “The Azula I know would have made off with that airship hours ago. Even if you really have decided to go against dad, you wouldn’t be caught dead working alongside the enemy, or worse, traitors. That’s just the kind of self-absorbed hypocrite you are.”

While he talked, the smile didn’t disappear from her face, but it did darken, gleaming with a distant malice.

“And where would I go, Zuko? What could I accomplish on my own?”

Stunned into silence by her own indirect admission to needing aid, Zuko allowed himself to listen. Azula took an aggressive step forward and gestured around her.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, our positions have become eerily similar, the only difference being is you have thrown your lot in with these… peasants and their pet god.”

Balling his fists, Zuko met her with a step of his own.

“Aang is much more than a pet.”

She laughed.

“And much less than a god.”

Turning away from him, she looked out towards the vasy blue sky for a moment before asking, “When you were banished, at any point after that, did you ever feel like it was all for nothing?”

The question was as personal a one as she could have asked and it came out of nowhere. Amazed by the mere possibility that his sister might actually be willing to have an open conversation with him about their feelings, he said truthfully, “Many times.”

Her eyes snapped back to him, lingering with disgust.

“Because you’re weak. Letting yourself be saddled with guilt and feelings of weakness… the only path is forward Zuko, so I suppose whatever my feelings towards you, you have at least found that.”

Not willing to let it sit at that, and furious that he had fooled himself into thinking Azula had been willing to have such a sincere kind of talk, Zuko snapped at her back.

“Aang is stronger than you give him credit for. He will be able to take down our father, and when he does, I will be ready to step into his place and take responsibility for what the Fire Nation has done.”

Azula slowly turned then and the look that she gave him was almost enough to make Zuko take a step back.

“And that’s where you and I truly differ, dear brother. You’ve let yourself be fooled into thinking that the Fire Nation, _our nation_ , has committed some sin.”

Unable to believe that she could truly be this blind, Zuko spread his arms in a placating gesture.

“It has!”

Her face flashed with a burning anger then and Zuko did take a step back then.

“Wrong!! You’re delusional!! We are the people who are meant to reign over the Four Nations, and we will do so regardless of whom holds the title of Fire Lord. If our father is thrown down and his position becomes vacant, it will be _I_ , not you, who takes the throne.”

She began to pace and the façade of engaging in word play had all but disappeared. “You would be nothing more than a weak, puppet leader. You would do whatever the Avatar tells you and would back down before the rulers of the other nations.”

Not entirely sure of his position, Zuko instead asked.

“And if our father wins?”

Her vicious smile returned and she inclined her head in his direction mockingly.

“Now, now, Zuko, you can’t be engaging in defeatist talk like that. But when our father wins, and I do believe he will, I will simply have to… relieve him of his post.”

Zuko stared at her, feeling a sinking feeling in his heart that he had hoped he might have been able to avoid.

“He tries to kill you… and you will respond by doing the same?”

Her expression fell into one of derision then as though she had suddenly become disgusted with the very idea of talking to him at all.

“I don’t expect you to understand. Regardless of our family falling apart, my father and I are both pursuing the same goal: the furthered glory of the Fire Nation.”

Her voice almost seemed to rise then with distant thoughts of glory and honor.

“Whether the Avatar lives or dies, whether our father lives or dies, I will be the one to deliver the Fire Nation to a brilliant new age. The world will fall before me, and that will include you and your pack of mixed blood outcasts if you stand in my way.”

She stopped there and Zuko watched her from behind and could tell that she was breathing deeply and heavily as though she had just run across the entire temple.

It was hard to quantify the pain that was currently coursing through him, he couldn’t even quite identify why he was feeling it. Azula still, after what had happened to her, had just fallen back into her husk. She would march forward to war no matter the odds or the opponent; it truly seemed like all she had.

As he thought of what Mai had told him in private about what had happened just before they had reached the airship, he asked his sister quietly, “Azula, do you ever get lonely, thinking like that?”

She didn’t reply and he could practically see the furious confusion on her face as she kept her back to him and he smiled distantly at the thought.

“I just ask, because… ever since I joined these people, I started to realize what I’ve been missing. Well, I guess I always sort of had it, I just never looked at it. Uncle gave it me every day, I feel it with Mai and while I haven’t yet earned it with these people… I know it’s there. I can feel it.”

In any other moment, the words would have sounded terribly corny, but as he let them out to his sister, they couldn’t have felt more appropriate.

“I’m talking about love. You can see it, the way they treat each other, even when they’re arguing. They're not like us, not like how we act, how we feel.”

Zuko stared at the back of his sister's head, trying to gauge her feelings purely through her breathing. “You have it too, Azula, even if you’re not looking at it. I still love you, no matter even if you go to your grave cursing me for a traitor and a coward. Uncle still loves you I’m sure. And Mai and Ty Lee do too.”

He turned on his heel, finishing his thought over his shoulder.

“I know you’re thinking me the biggest disgrace that you could ever have, but I feel happier now than I ever had before, even after I thought my honor restored and my life returned to me. And I just wanted you to know that you have that same love, even if you won’t acknowledge it.”

Azula remained as still as a statue and Zuko, believing anything more he might say would be entirely detrimental to whatever ground he had gained, backed away slowly and then moved to walk down the stairs and leave his sister alone with her thoughts.

When he was far enough away to know he couldn’t be heard, he let out a sigh of relief. Trying to make any sort of moral progress with his sister would likely be a process that took time, after all, she had been trained as a machine of war and efficiency, not much else. Their mother might have been able to straighten her out, but after she left them when they were still so young, all Azula had was a distant and emotionless father and a broken and naïve brother.

In a sense, Zuko now knew himself to have been incredibly lucky. Being able to travel with his Uncle Iroh, and to ultimately take away so much from what his father figure had tried to impart on him, and to now have Aang and his company with whom to try and restore his sense of humanity… it was all rather fortunate for him.

_You just wait, uncle. When you see me again, you’ll know that you were right and that I am changed._

“That was real nice-sounding back there.”

He jumped and turned sharply to see Mai coming down the stairs behind him, a light smile on her face.

Zuko felt another rush of happiness as he mentally checked himself for having left out such an important detail in his story of personal redemption.

“You heard all that?”

She nodded as she came to stand beside him and took his hand. “Most of it. I have to give you credit, I don’t imagine Azula is exactly the type of person anyone would want to approach with a topic like that.”

Glancing over his shoulder as though expecting to see his sister coming down the stairs behind him, Zuko asked distantly. “Do you think any of it meant anything to her?”

Mai cocked her head.

“Right now? No.”

He bowed his head with a sigh and she reached out to lift his chin. “Hey, but that doesn’t mean I think it won’t stick. No, she’ll hear those words in her head more often than she’d probably like to, and she might even question if they’re right. But right now, she’s way too broken to take much away from what you said.”

Zuko stared at his girlfriend with confused eyes.

“Broken? I don’t get it, I’ve never seen her more fired up, more intent on standing above everybody else, just like she always is. Yeah, she renounced father, but if that was all him trying to kill her did, she’s more lost than I thought.”

Taking him under the arm and steering him onward, Mai talked as they strode their way back down towards where the main camp was situated.

“It probably looks like that, but I can guarantee you that’s not the case.”

The massive chasm that they overlooked seemed to stretch on forever and deeper than the eye could see as they worked their way down the ancient stone stairs.

“She’s hiding behind that same old mask of being nothing more than a war machine, it gives her comfort. She doesn’t have to think about her emotions, or her feelings, because they don’t have a bearing on her predicament, or that’s what she tells herself anyway.”

Mai sighed, and Zuko could tell that this was something she had spent a lot of time thinking about.

“I’ve been traveling with her for months. I do as she commands, but that doesn’t stop me from gathering all this and knowing what she’s doing out here, hunting the Avatar I mean. Azula’s running from her loneliness and what I think is this crazy belief that there isn’t a person alive who cares about her in the slightest.”

Zuko stopped walking to throw his hands up in consternation. “I just was up there telling her how the opposite was true!!”

She sighed again and pulled him along still.

“I know, Zuko, but she’s not listening, not yet.”

There was a pause as she seemed to struggle with wanting to say something before speaking in a defeated tone as though she had lost some sort of internal battle.

“When we were escaping your father’s palace, Azula… had a moment. She seemed very confident that Sasuke had put her under a spell, the same sort he had used on us at Boiling Rock. She started rambling about how this was all fake, and how all she had to do was wake up. The burn on her arm that Katara treated was self-inflicted; she was trying to wake herself up.”

Feeling a wave of pity roll over his gut, Zuko closed his eyes tightly for a moment as Mai continued.

“When Sasuke, Toph and I finally convinced her it was real, she cried, then and there.”

Sensing his stunned expression, Mai nodded understandingly.

“I know, I wouldn’t have believed it either. But there was such a pain behind accepting that things had changed for her, and for the worse. In her eyes, the one thing that she was fighting for has abandoned her.”

Zuko looked at his girlfriend carefully as he asked, “When my father unveiled what he wanted to do… I noticed when you told the story, you skipped over any reactions the three of you might have had.”

Mai laughed humorlessly.

“What was I supposed to do, tell everyone there that Azula was more than willing to die by her father’s hand and likely would have if Ty Lee and I hadn’t been there?”

She met Zuko’s eyes sadly.

“Azula tried to wager our lives for her sacrifice. Ozai didn’t want any witnesses to his crime, save for his hidden guard, but I could tell that she would accepted it one way or another.”

Feeling sick, Zuko looked behind him again, seeing only a massive empty staircase where they had come from.

“You said she attacked our father too? Why would she if she had just been willing to die?”

A knowing and grim look crossed Mai’s face as she replied, “He attacked Ty Lee.”

As the significance of that hung in the air between them, Zuko felt another line of questioning start to rise in his mind as he gently put aside thoughts of his damaged sister.

“So, this Sasuke… what do you think of him?”

He was surprised by how quickly Mai replied to him, her face pulling back in relative disdain. “Can’t stand him. He’s good in a fight, _real_ good in a fight, but he’s too dangerous. The kind of power he has shouldn’t be able to wielded by one person.”

Recalling what she had said before, Zuko asked, “You mentioned something about a ‘spell’ that he had used on you and my sister before. What’s that?”

The look that crossed over Mai’s face was enough to give him chills.

“Oh, Zuko, please don’t make me think about that… “

She stopped walking and released his hand, walking over to a pillar and leaning against it as she looked out over the canyon. Sensing that his best course of action would be to remain quiet, Zuko stood behind her and waited, letting her decide one way or another how she wanted to proceed. He wouldn’t press the issue, despite how curious he was, and also rather angry. If Sasuke had done something this egregious to Mai… he had stated on the gondola that he hadn’t harmed her, but there were more ways to hurt a person than physically.

Mai spoke slowly and softly as though worried somewhat might be listening in.

“I don’t know how he did it, or what it really was that he did, but… one moment Azula and I were going in for a quick takedown, the next I had looked into his eyes and I was somewhere else entirely. I found out of course later that it was a vision, some horrible dream he had somehow forced me into, but I saw awful things. I saw you being hurt, I saw Ty Lee and Azula getting hurt, I saw my family getting hurt. I couldn’t get away form it, not any of it and I remember feeling so much so that I wanted just to die to stop from hearing it and seeing it. Then, I was waking up on the prison ground next to Azula.”

Her mouth contorted into a reviling look.

“He’s more powerful than you think, Zuko. He can firebend, and he can also pull some mind tricks, though I can’t even being to imagine how he does them.”

Zuko nodded. “Well, we can add that to the list of things he can do that he shouldn’t be able to, like bend all four elements somehow.”

At this, Mai whirled to stare at him in absolute bewilderment.

“What did you say?”

Realizing that this wasn’t a topic that had been addressed during the meeting they had undergone hours ago, he scratched that back of his head. It was a fact that kept coming back to prod its way into his mind, an impossible notion that he had still witnessed and was trying with no real success to comprehend.

“Sasuke can bend all four elements,” he repeated. “We don’t know how or why, we haven’t exactly had a lot of time with him, and he’s not exactly an open book. But I’ve seen it, we’ve all seen him bend more than just fire.”

Mai took this information in and blinked at him in sheer bafflement, before leaning against the pillar and crossing her arms.

“You must have been seeing things, all of you. Or its another one of his tricks.”

Zuko shook his head. “It’s not either. When he arrived, there was a moment where he basically threatened Aang, picked him up like he was going to hurt him. Katara, Toph and I all threw our bending at him in a try to knock him out or subdue him, but he whipped my fire to smoke, he turned Katara’s ice into a cloud of harmless snow and he shattered Toph’s giant slab of earth like it was made of glass.”

He gave her a look.

“You’re right, he’s dangerous, but there is way more going on with him then we know.”

Mai wasn’t looking at him and seemed to now be staring off into space as if doing so would be enough to give her some reasoning to this dilemma, but she seemed unable to find one. Gathering his self-confidence and his mindset that he believed he might the only one willing to back up, Zuko walked up to Mai and put an arm around her shoulder.

“But I do know this: he saved my sister, he helped save Ty Lee and he helped save you. So, I have to imagine he’s not all bad.”

She gave him a distracted smile, but leaned into him all the same, accepting his embrace while her mind surely was working at a speed Zuko would have been a fool to try and slow. He opted instead to stand there and hold her, hoping beyond hope that his assessment he had just given to Mai was at least partially true.

* * *

Sasuke paced the vast upper hall of the temple, thoughts flying disjointedly through his head. There was so much there that it almost hurt to even try and balance all at once.

He knew it, he knew the truth. Well, enough of it anyway. And while he tried to come up with a solution to acquire this revenge that now purposed his life, anger kept flooding in before he could get in too deep to his musings.

He kept thinking to what Roku had said, that by helping Aang in his quest to throw down the Fire Lord, answers would become clear. Is this what he had meant, that if the Fire Lord fell, Sasuke would be able to put names to the ones that had betrayed him and his brother? Was Ozai's defeat the pathway to justice?

Also, his mind kept turning towards Katara and the rest. Would they even be willing to let him go? Would he have to settle things by force if he was denied?

And on top of that, he truly had no place to start, no matter what happened.

Sasuke growled and sat down on a bench that looked older than a hundred years and put his head in his hands. It truly was maddening to have suddenly been cursed with this knowledge. Part of him wanted it gone, wanted to drift back into the ether and leave him be, but that would never do. What was he without purpose of any kind after all? Standing again, he drew a hand through his shock of black hair, trying to pick a singular point of interest to focus on.

He settled on speaking to the others; it would be a perhaps difficult task, but if he was able to leave with their blessing, it would keep them from chasing him if he left without notice. Based on what he had seen, he had no doubt that flying bison would be able to catch up to him aboard that airship and bring him guiltily back.

_Guilt._

And as the single word was repeated in his head, a rush of intense déjà vu roller over his mind as he saw himself once again in the dim light of the temple he had been defeated by Ozai in before his time in the prison.

“ _Grandfather, we have made good on our attempt to kill their entire family; with aid from high up insiders within the Earth Nation, we've wiped out all but one who of course happens to be the problem child. As our plan no longer requires them, I have cut ties with our Earth Nation insiders, but the fact of the matter remains. What is to be done about the last? Kill him, or perhaps lock him up where he can do no harm… I implore you impart your wisdom on me as I move forward.”_

By the time, the memory had finished, Sasuke on his feet and after several seconds, he reminded himself to breathe. The remembrance of Ozai praying before a shrine was just as real as the recollection of the priests coming before the Fire Lord and speaking of Sozin's ritual. There was a strange buzzing resounding in his head and a numbness that had spread to his fingers as he considered what he heard.

_So that’s it then, Ozai._

The nations of Earth and Fire had conspired to eliminate his family, his people. Perhaps because of the danger they posed, the jutsu they could utilize that benders could not, for whatever reason…

_I’m the last one._

Purpose, there it was.

Distantly, he heard the soft but firm sound of footfalls behind him and he turned to mert whoever was coming to his way. He hoped it wasn't Toph, he wasn’t interested in sitting down and having a heart to heart.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

Of all those in the camp, he was confronted by the last person he would have guessed would be looking for him. Azula stopped walking and turned to face him, her eyes permanently spiteful. Sasuke regarded her with a callous look of his own as they sized one another up.

“Something I can do for you, your majesty?”

He made sure his use of her title was riddled with a mocking nature. Sasuke could tell that the arrogant and entitled nature he had sensed from her before was still present; it was almost entirely unlikely she had stopped by to thank him for risking his life on her behalf.

She turned her nose slightly up in his direction, “There are some things that are owed, and I would see them repaid before I go about taking my father’s position as ruler of the new world.”

“Bold words,” Sasuke said, turning himself to respectfully face her, though he let his face and tone show no similar signs of recognition. “What exactly is it you believe that must be repaid.”

Her response was something so characteristic based on what Sasuke knew of her that he was surprised he didn’t see it coming.

“You’ve humiliated me. You beat me in a disgraceful fashion at Boiling Rock prison and now I imagine you think that on top of that, I owe you my life.”

 _Hardly something I even thought about,_ Sasuke mused, internally amused by her melodrama.

“As my honor has been compromised, I challenge you to an Agni Kai.”

Confronted by yet another thing that he had no context or understanding of, Sasuke gave his head a bemused shake. “A what?”

Her nostrils flared as though she believed him to be insulting her. “Don’t play stupid with me, boy. You know the traditions of firebenders as well as I. I will meet you atop the temple grounds in the grass fields at sundown. Come prepared to lose.”

And with that, she strode away, with every air of the condescending nature he had originally gleaned from her. Sasuke could only stare after her in utter bewilderment before shaking it aside and walking the opposite direction.

An Agni Kai? He had no memory of such a thing, but if it was some sort of contest, he supposed he could humor the princess. Perhaps it was a hand to hand engagement that would end with one person knocking the other down, he could let her beat him if that was the case. Anything to keep her from hounding him about honor more than she just had.

He found the people he needed to talk to very quickly and all thoughts of Azula’s challenge faded from his mind. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph were sitting around Appa on one of the upper levels of the temple’s floors that overlooked the canyon. They seemed to be in decently good spirits despite the pressing issue of camping with their enemies.

_Good, perhaps that will make them more amenable to the idea of letting me take the airship._

As he watched, Katara made some remark that caused Sokka to start flapping his arms like a possessed seabird and shout angrily, while Toph and Aang laughed raucously at whatever had been said. Aang sneezed and blew himself onto his ass, likely as a result of his natural affinity to the air element. Seeing them was almost enough to give Sasuke pause, to consider how young they were and as an extension, how young he was, to be preoccupied in such conflict, and how much innocence remained.

Almost.

The collective mood shifted drastically as he approached, not an unexpected reaction to his presence or so he had found. Sokka and Katara, true siblings, drew themselves up and crossed their arms, eying him intently. Aang seemed more perturbed and hopped on a sphere of air to hover a few feet above the ground, something that seemed to be a nervous habit of his. Toph on the other hand seemed to react the least, hardly moving from where she had been sitting, but with just a look Sasuke could tell she had recognized his presence.

Katara spoke in a low, disapproving tone as Sasuke joined them, her eyes never leaving him. “Would have been nice to know that he was awake, Toph.”

The blind girl kicked the floor and absently blew hair out of her face while muttering in reply. “I didn’t think it mattered.”

Clearly not seeking to push the issue, Katara took in a long inhale of finality as though resigned that she had to talk to Sasuke and addressed him.

“What do you want?”

_So much more trying to be friendly about any of this._

Deciding that it was better to lay his cards on the table rather than beat around the bush about this, Sasuke made his intentions clear immediately.

“I’m leaving.”

The proceeding reply was a conglomeration of mixed reactions. Sokka let out a sigh of relief, saying, “Good.” Katara narrowed her eyes suspiciously, Toph looked up sharply in surprise, shouting, “What?” in an almost perfect mirror of Aang who hopped off his floating sphere of air and initiated his response with the same word.

“What? Why? After what Roku told you?”

He made to look back, but seemed to realize that he was going to get little help from his friends and kept his eyes locked pleadingly on Sasuke.

“You’re really, really strong! I know you have to be feeling impatient, but Roku wouldn’t lie to you! If you help us beat Ozai, I promise we’ll—”

Not wanting this to go any further, Sasuke put a hand wearily.

“It isn’t that. Some of my memory returned and I know what I have to do, or at least where I have to start.”

Knowing what he was about to say next was going to make him rather unpopular with at least a couple of them, he added.

“I’m going to take down the Fire Lord myself. You needn’t worry about him anymore.”

This was enough to cause the size of the whole group’s eyes to collectively double. Sokka was the first to lift his jaw from his chest and began to sputter angrily. “Didn’t you hear what we said earlier?! Aang has to be the one to defeat Ozai!!”

Wishing he had mentally prepared more for this line of questioning, Sasuke spread his hands.

“Why?”

Katara spoke in reply for her brother, her voice soft and cautious. Her brilliant eyes were alive with a mixture of trepidation and withheld anger.

“Because only through Aang can Ozai’s defeat mean balance will be brought to the Four Nations.”

The absurdity of this notion was starting to wear on Sasuke’s nerves and he required effort to keep himself from raising his voice.

“How do you know that?”

When none of them immediately spoke up, Sasuke rolled his eyes. Seeing this Aang piped up, though his voice was less than confident. “I’ve spoken to spirits and previous Avatars, like Roku. They all say the same thing. We’ve traveled across all the nations and seen more than a few writings that claim the same thing. Everything points to me having to—”

Reaching a breaking point, Sasuke snapped, “Enough!!”

He looked around at the four of them and saw how much they seemed to shrink back simply by him raising his voice, save for Katara who looked even more resilient then before.

“The four of you are truly going to rely on the suspicions of dead men and written words? I don’t know about any of you, but I’ve faced Ozai. He is mortal. He is a man. Not some monstrous evil that can only be defeated by prophecy. Now you lot would have been content to just waste away time while this comet approaches, supposedly some great astral force that will make him unstoppable. Wait up until that last minute to try anything, but I have seen what you have not. He can be beaten.”

It was Toph who spoke up and asked him quietly, “So why didn’t you take him down when we were there?”

Sasuke bristled at that; he had forgotten his weakness, his moment of contemplation that had wasted enough time to allow the royal guard to not only arrive, but gain an edge on him. Ozai had survived that scrape purely because Sasuke had frozen in that moment.

“It was not the mission,” he settled on saying, though Katara’s penetrating gaze told him that she wasn’t convinced. Aang looked up to him, eyes still worried and wide.

“Are you sure you can?”

Sokka gave Aang a look of disbelief. “Aang, I can’t even believe you’re considering this right now!! You would throw aside this chance, this opportunity to some stranger, who we don’t even know is telling the truth?!”

He turned to look at Sasuke angrily.

“Why do you even want to go and fight Ozai anyway?!”

But Sasuke wasn’t listening. He had his gaze and attention fixated solely on Aang who, after realizing how thoroughly he was being studied, looked away in something that resembled shame. But by then, it was too late. Sasuke had seen what he needed to.

Aang wasn’t just feeling unprepared to fight Ozai: he didn’t want to fight him period. The very idea of it was terrifying, hence his anxious expressions any time the Fire Lord was even mentioned. And as Sasuke considered it, he supposed he could understand why. Aang was barely more than a child, just the same as all of them, and Sasuke knew what Ozai was capable of, even without the comet’s power. He was truly confident in his abilities now that he knew what he was up against. The Fire Lord was nothing against a surprise attack with the appropriate jutsu mixed in, and in a roundabout way, Sasuke was going to be giving Aang an enormous favor.

He looked down at Aang and shrugged, “When I’m done with him, you can feel free to take credit.”

This seemed to be enough for Katara who stormed forward and he promptly found her nose to nose with him.

“Shut up!! Just shut up!! You don’t know what you’re talking about!! You don’t know what we’ve had to go through and you have no right to be talking to Aang like that!!”

Aang tried to speak up behind her in what likely was going to be an attempt to calm her down but she was having none of it. Sasuke’s stoic expression seemed to only enrage her further.

“You shouldn’t even exist!! You’re some kind of freak outlier that just showed up and is trying to change a course of events that has been set in motion since long before any of us were even born!! How _dare_ you act as though you’re above all this!!”

He stared back at her.

“Are you finished?”

She seemed to recognize how out of control she had just been and backed away from him, pulling in long breaths. “Yeah, I am.”

Behind him, Sasuke heard footsteps coming up the stairs and Zuko’s voice rang out, curious and apprehensive.

“What’s going on?”

Sokka gave an absurdly sarcastic shrug. “Oh, not much, just Sasuke saying he’s actually going to bounce and go take down the Fire Lord all by himself.”

Zuko came into Sasuke’s field of view and he could see that he had brought Mai with him. He noticed rather quickly that she was still fixing him with a resentful and angry expression, but there was more to it now. Was that fear in her eyes?

“What?!” was all Zuko seemed able to manage as his head swiveled between just about everyone present. Sasuke decided to take this opportunity and elaborate on his own thoughts regarding the situation.

“He’s right. I’ll be taking my leave by the end of this evening in pursuit of your father. I would be leaving earlier, but your sister confronted me and informed me that in order to withhold her honor, she would be challenging me to something called an Agni Kai, which I guess I’ll take care of before I leave so she doesn’t come and—”

This was as far as he got before the six people around him exploded in an outburst. They were mostly shouts of disbelief and confusion, and Sasuke was surprised as Mai came up to him and got just as close to him as Katara had, her raspy voice dark with fury.

“Say that again.”

“Azula challenged me to an Agni Kai at sundown,” Sasuke repeated and clarified. Mai stepped away from him and put her head in her hands. Zuko had dropped to the floor and was looking hopelessly lost for direction. Aang, Sokka and Toph were looking like they were running several different scenarios in their heads and Katara remained the only one who looked in control of her emotions, though when she spoke, her voice shook.

“You’re sure that’s what she said.”

Sasuke nodded.

“Entirely.”

As silence fell on the group, he watched as they all went through their various stages of shock and asked after a minute or so, “What’s an Agni Kai?”

It was Zuko who spoke up from his place on the ground, sounding just as defeated and miserable as his expression might suggest.

“At sunset, you will face my sister in one on one combat. You will be allowed nothing but your firebending and the first person to subdue the other and inflict a burn will technically be the winner.”

Realizing this Agni Kai was a fair bit more serious than he might have thought, Sasuke considered this as he asked, “Technically?”

Looking up at him, Zuko pointed at the burn on his face. “My father gave this to me when he challenged me to an Agni Kai when I was younger. He left me with a burn, but people often time take the full measure and… “

He cut off and Mai finished the thought for him. “Kill their opponent, even when they’re defenseless and beaten.”

“There’s no rules against that?”

Zuko shook his head. “None. There are very few rules at all.”

Sasuke mulled this over. Of course, Azula would be no match for his ability in overall combat, so he could put her on her royal ass relatively quickly. Burning her though… that hardly seemed necessary. And he certainly was not going to allow himself to be struck down by her in turn; there was an inkling in his mind that she might attempt what Mai had suggested, in killing him entirely. An annoying situation to say the least.

Still, what choice did he really have?

“Well, considering I’ve already accepted this challenge, I suppose there's no backing down.”

Zuko blurted out a humorless laugh, “You do that, and she'll spend the rest of her life trying to put a fire bolt in your back.”

Turning away and blowing out a frustrated sigh, Sasuke scowled.

_Outstanding._

* * *

Being one of the last off the ferry, the robed man looked out over the vast wasteland that stood between him and the city of Ba Sing Se. His journey was half over to reach the Earth Nation's capital where hopefully things might become more clear to him. Several tents and merchants were waiting for the departing men and women and families, selling food, water, supplies and transportation for those who were unsure about making passage to the city.

Those he had traveled with continued to cast him worried and suspicious looks, just as they had aboard the ferry. He supposed the injury to his face would likely have been enough for many of them to eye him with disconcertment; he found it rather unsightly himself when he looked in a mirror or saw his reflection. But if anyone had been wanting to approach him about it, or confront him about perhaps being a runaway solider, the sword he had fixed at his hip likely was what had discouraged any such engagement.

Despite the overpowering uncertainty that wove its way through every fiber of his being, the stoic and confident demeanor he conducted himself with probably made him look the most in control person amongst the refugees and travelers. When he reached the city, he could spend time worrying about his predicament and hopefully start looking for answers. Though with the very little he had, it was all he could do to keep from thinking that even a city as rich with information like Ba Sing Se was supposed to be, it was a shot in a million that he would find anything concrete.

He felt so completely alone, it was rather staggering.

As he mused before descending the ramp off the ferry, something small and hard dropped onto his shoulder and bounced to the floor with a clatter.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry down there!!”

The traveler looked up to see an older man waving in frantic apology on the deck above him before jogging around to the stairs and descending them to join the traveler. Stout and bearded with an eccentric expression about him, he smiled sheepishly as he walked over.

“I must be getting careless with my grip in my old age.” The traveler leaned down to pick up what had been dropped and found it to be a circular tile with a flower pattern etched and colored onto it. Without a word, he handed it back to the older man who accepted it with a bow.

“Much thanks.”

“Mmm,” the traveler intoned before stepping down the ramp and preparing to examine his options.

“Are you a soldier perhaps?”

Closing his eyes in distant exasperation, the traveler sighed quietly. Of course, he had happened to run into that one old person who wanted nothing more than to make small talk and share life stories. Turning, he saw the older man trotting down the ramp after him.

“No, just a journeyer.”

Eyes lighting up, the older man drew up alongside him and matched his pace as they passed through the crowd of travelers occupying themselves with the wares of the many merchants.

“Ah, I see. Heading to the big city no doubt?”

“Yes.”

“And where do you see your journey taking you?”

Rather than annoying, the traveler found the question worrying as he considered what he actually was venturing to Ba Sing Se for.

“I’m… looking for someone.”

The old man laughed at this vague response. “No matter our age, that always seems to be the case. A special someone perhaps? A handsome young man like you surely would find plenty of lucky women roaming the city looking for love as well.”

Smirking, the traveler gestured to the scarred part of his face.

“Someone looking as mangled as this? I rather doubt it.”

“Ah, don't seek yourself short! I’m sure there is a thrilling story behind it and such a story would be plenty enough to bring in a curious flock of women. Looks aren’t everything, you know. War injury perhaps?”

Feeling uncomfortable again, the traveler rotated his shoulder awkwardly as they passed by a man selling a variety of food items.

“I…”

Before he could even offer his unsatisfying answer, the older man caught sight of the food wares. “Hold that thought, I’ll be back in just a moment!”

He marched over to the merchant and quickly began to talk prices and amounts as the traveler finished his reply to himself, “… don’t know.”

Gritting his teeth, he looked away. The frustration with his utter lack of knowledge on even himself began to rise again and he had to force it down with a scowl. Not knowing had to be the most pressing and aggravating curse he could have imagined; where he was from, who he knew, what he knew, even really who he was. Having a name was hardly that noteworthy of a thing.

Adjusting his small shoulder satchel, he walked away. It had surprised him how pleasant it had been just to talk with another person, someone who could almost take his mind off his current predicament, and with such a kind demeanor too. But there was little to be gained by fraternization, and the old man would just slow him down on his trip to the city.

Weaving his way through the crowd, he finally reached a vendor that he thought might have a product relevant to his situation.

“How much for a, er… “

The vendor said, “Ostrich horse?”

“Yeah.”

“Fifteen silver pieces, friend.”

Feeling guilt at exchanging what was essentially stolen money, the traveler nonetheless passed over the required amount and took the reigns of one of the less energetic mounts. He walked it to the edge of the encampment and tied it to a post near a watering hole where several others were refilling from pumps and hydrating their animals. As his ostrich horse took a long swig from the water hole, the traveler paid the owner of the welling system two copper pieces to pump his leather and potted bottle with water. Securing his few belongings to the saddle of his mount, he examined a map he had been handed aboard the ferry.

It would be two long day's ride east as far as be could tell, and perhaps longer if he aimed to avoid the desert. He wiped his brow as the hot sun beat down on him and he rolled up the map; reaching behind him to make sure he still had his sword, he prepared to mount his means of transportation and depart.

“Please, this is all we have!!”

He looked over his shoulder to see a group of whom appeared to be Earth Nation soldiers surrounding a woman who was struggling to maintain a grip on her satchel of belongings as well as a bundle pressed to her shoulder that must have been a baby. One of the soldiers snapped back at her, “Fee for crossing through the camp, lady!!”

“Without this food, we'll never make it to Ba Sing Se!” she pleaded, but one of the soldiers finally ripped the luggage from her arms and began to root through it with his comrades while the woman fell to her knees, clutching her baby desperately. The soldier in charge jammed a finger in her face.

“Don’t give us that! Get out of here before we change our minds and sell you in one of the red light districts!”

Biting back his disgust, the traveler nonetheless turned back to his own situation, putting the crying of the woman and her child out of his head. Around the edge of the camp, people passed by a distance away but spared the situation no more than a glance; clearly, these soldiers pilfering for their own amusement and gain was nothing new.

“Please, gentlemen, have pity.”

Another voice joined the grouping, and the travler saw the old man from earlier approaching the soldiers, offering a small bag that jingled as he raised it.

“This is all the money I have, please return the woman’s belongings and you may have it.”

Several of the men laughed and one of them walked up to the old man and threw him to the ground and wrested away the coin purse. “I think I’ll take it anyway, thanks, gramps!!”

The soldiers, laughing at their own despicable acts, moved away from the old man and the woman and child, digging through the money and belongings they had just pilfered. It was surely a good take for them, the lot of it would do well in lining their pockets as they returned to Ba Sing Se, they must have thought as they moved to their own mounts.

They found however that their way had become blocked by a single man, dressed in a simple robe with a sword at his side.

“I’d advise you return those belongings,” the traveler growled. His anger had jumped to a boiling point with a worrying swiftness, but he was not in the mindset to pay it any mind. Watching the woman and old man be abused had lit a fire in his heart that was the most beautiful kind of distracting. His thoughts about his entire lack of memory, and his uncertainty in how best to reacquire such knowledge were dropped to the side, in favor of a blistering fury that flowed out from his gut, pouring through his veins and filling his body with the most voracious kind of intensity.

The men in charge of the soldiers took a step towards him, head cocked with a look of bewilderment on his face. “Stranger, I’d advise _you_ to move along. This is none of your concern.”

He pointed to the traveler’s waist.

“Though if you’d like to hand over that sword by way of an apology, I’d certainly be willing to accept.”

The traveler remained stationary, as firm as a tree planted before the soldiers. His only movement was to move a hand to the hilt of his sword and push it an inch or so from its scabbard. The soldiers before him exchanged glances, but before they even turned back to him, he already had determined the best way to proceed. Three were lackeys, unsure of how best to act themselves and practically hid behind the other three. Of these more confident men, one was taller and heavyset, a warhammer slung over his back, one was the smallest of the bunch but seemed to conduct himself with an overbearing and condescending air, though even he stayed behind the last of the six men.

The leader had a bald top of his head and facial hair that slid around his chin to slink around and formed into hair on the back his head that flowed down his back. His eyes were small and eyed the traveler with a happily demeaning quality as though he were thoroughly enjoying this situation. He had a pair of hammers that he moved his hands to the handles of, stroking them softly.

“You got some guts, boy. I can tell just from that wound you got on your face. You fight in the war?”

Though he had no way of knowing, the traveler replied evenly. “I’ve fought in several.”

The leader threw his head back and laughed, “Yeah, I’ll bet you have.”

He took another step forward and pulled his hammers free from his belt. Flicking his eyes behind the soldiers, the traveler was relieved to see the old man pulling the woman to her feet and away from what was about to become a battleground.

Stomping his feet, the leader conjured rocks the size of wicker baskets to spring from the earth which he juggled almost carelessly with his hammers.

“Last chance, hero. Walk away.”

His display of earthbending was hardly cause for concern. While the traveler was very much lost on his own path, he had certainly absorbed as much of this world as he could. Benders were cocky in their ability to use their natural gift to be a great deal more powerful than all those who could not control the elements as they did. Most people would shy away from them and steer clear of confrontation, but the traveler was no such type. He watched as the leader’s smirk slowly faded and twisted into an annoyed snarl.

“Have it your way,” the rocks were launched into the air and the leader drew back with his hammers to send them flying towards the traveler to crush his skull.

The traveler smiled.

_Outstanding._

* * *

As the grass swayed about her knees, Azula drew in long, furious breaths in an attempt to harness her rage. Stripped to a breastband and her undergarments, she felt as loose and light as she ever had as she blasted several fireballs towards the sky, annunciating each one with a furious shout.

She had challenged many an officer to an Agni Kai over the past several years, and had never once taken them seriously in the slightest. The men she had beaten were always humiliated by her firebending prowess and she had left only a few of them alive. There were times she had heard rumblings that she was too harsh, too demanding and too cruel, but she only thrived with these rumors being passed among the troops. She was a woman to be feared and respected. It was hardly a concern of hers if they were scared into loyalty by her dueling and killing any insubordinate officers. And she had taken great pride and joy in putting on those exhibitions time after time to enforce her will over the Fire Nation’s military.

Now, here she was, about to fight a boy who was likely no older than her, and her heart was racing.

Even acknowledging this change in her physicality was an impossibly frustrating notion. Why was he making her feel this way?

Leaping into the air with fire bursting from her feet to propel her higher, she sent a cyclone of fire scorching at the sky with a violent kick. She touched down and watched it spiral into the sky before fading out against the dimming pink glow of the sky. Sunset had nearly come and she had every reason to assume he would meet her challenge. He seemed hardly afraid of her challenge, hardly even perturbed.

_Who does he think he is._

Sasuke was infuriating to an inexpicable point for her. He showed no respect, hardly seemed aware of her misgivings for him, and acted even higher and mightier than she did. Sure, he had natural skill and talent that might even rival her own, but…

Azula closed her eyes.

He wasn’t truly that different from her. Even really at all. He was arrogant, violent and powerful with a lack of respect for others. Azula knew these were qualities she had, but had never counted them as negative marks to be checked against her. Not until she saw them so vividly reflected in Sasuke.

His eyes showed too that he was no child. Young perhaps, but in his brief lifespan, he had surely borne witness to his fair share of atrocities and war. Perhaps even instigated by Azula or her family.

But none of that mattered. He had insulted her with his actions, and she was going to make him pay for it. Fire against fire, she would prove her dominance and defeat him. Whether or not she was going to kill him was still an uncertainty in her head, but she was sure she would know what to do when the time came, it was all—

_Can I even beat him?_

She roared and extended her fingertips towards the dimming sky, sending torrents of flame spouting upwards in a glorious fountain of heat. Of course she could, Azula had never lost once to another firebender, not even anything close, not to her withered old uncle, not to Zuko and certainly not to any of them men she had made pay for their rude attitudes and actions. But here she was, about to fight Sasuke and her trepidation could not have been more present.

It wasn’t a matter of whether or not she could, it was a matter of ignoring any worry she felt and simply acting upon her anger towards him. Victory would follow shortly, nothing he could do would be able to withstand her rage, nothing he could do would be enough to repel her ferocity. Nothing he could do…

Footsteps sounded behind her, softly ascending the stone stairs that opened up into the grassy fields, steps Azula had ascended herself hours ago. The grass shuffled distantly around a new presence and she straightened her back slowly.

“I’m here, your highness.”

And the worry returned just as quickly. Taking a last calming breath, Azula turned to face Sasuke and her own fear.


	7. Chapter 7

**_AN: Just wanted to give fair warning and mention that this is where things are going to get a little more violent. Before initially publishing this, I had a lot of thought about whether or not to make this an M rating, but I settled on T for a few reasons. That said, I’d feel remiss if I didn’t at least give a heads up that this will get a little more messy moving forward._ **

** Chapter 7: The Agni Kai **

Katara needn’t have worried about trying so desperately to sprint up the stairs and reach the grass plains to try and stop the conflict. By the time she reached the top, her legs burning and lungs heaving for air, it was already obvious to her that stopping this was entirely out of her control.

Azula looked as furious and formidable as she ever had, toned body glistening in the evening sun as she glared hungrily towards Sasuke. The young man hadn’t made it much further than the stairs and stood something over a dozen yards from the princess. His face could not have reflected a cooler contrast to the fire burning in Azula’s eyes. His hands were loose and hung at his sides as the breeze gently tossed his black hair. He looked remarkably at peace with what was happening, a change from the annoyed aura he had been giving off earlier.

Behind Katara, the rest of the small group piled up the stairs; Sokka, panting harder than she was, put a hand on her shoulder.

“I… told dad what… was going on. He’s… got everyone else and… keeping an eye on them. I asked Suki to keep an eye on Ty Lee. No one… will be stumbling in on this… assuming it happens.”

Gasping for a long breath, he leaned and popped his back. “Any luck?”

Katara shook her head as her own chest heaved at a much more controllable rate. “I haven’t even tried. Look at them.”

At her quiet words, she saw Aang, Zuko, Mai and Sokka look to the two soon to be combatants and saw the same hopelessness she felt reflected on their faces. Toph murmured quietly.

“Azula’s shaking.”

Stepping forward, Mai raised her voice to throw towards her friend.

“Azula, let this go! There’s no need for this, your honor wasn’t damaged by him! In case you forgot, you were the one who dragged him to the airship before we escaped, so he’s just as much in your debt if that’s what this is about!”

Sasuke sniffed loudly, something Katara felt did not help the situation at all. When Azula said nothing in reply, Mai spread her arms. “What do you want from this?!”

Azula shouted without taking her eyes off Sasuke.

“I want him _dead_!!”

Silence fell after this, being shaken only by the wind moving amongst the grass. Katara looked to Aang and they exchanged pained looks. Zuko looked on the verge of being sick and he took a shaky step forward to stand beside Mai.

“Please, don’t do this. I know what you’re thinking, Azula, I can see if on your face.”

She seemed to falter just a moment as he added, “You’re not sure you can win.”

Sasuke spoke up then, adding his detestably cool and low voice to the mix.

“She can’t. She lost the moment she looked me in the eye.”

Mai shifted her focus then, her face suddenly coming alive with a significant amount of fury. “There aren’t many rules to an Agni Kai, but you can’t—!”

Sasuke waved a hand dismissively in her direction. “I know, no eye tricks.”

Katara thought confusedly to herself, _Eye tricks?_

Continuing, Sasuke began to pace ever so slowly in a wide arc around Azula, taking several steps one way and then several back again as though she was prey he was about to pounce on, and Katara suddenly realized how utterly out of her depth Azula really seemed to be. Just looking at her would have been a powerfully intimidating sight, but Sasuke’s utter apathy and focus seemed overwhelming.

“But she’s not able to beat me, because she’s not ready to. This is a contest of speed, agility and firebending. There isn’t enough there to stop me.”

Azula’s eyes only glowed brighter, but her readied stance seemed to falter as he spoke.

“You’ve done nothing but win during your time as a warrior and it’s made you weak. It’s cost you strength because you’ve yet to be truly challenged. Those stronger than you, you’ve been able to avoid, and those weaker than you have fallen. But you’re not a fool. You recognize a threat and that’s the reason you’ve challenged me today not because of some bullshit about honor, but because you feel your place as strongest has been threatened. It’s killing you not knowing if I’m more powerful than you and so you’re here… but you still know that you could lose, so I’m going to give you one chance to walk away.”

Katara held her breath as she grabbed her brother’s wrist and squeezed it in stress. She hoped beyond hoping that Azula would see some level of reason and back down from this insane investment. For a moment, it looked like she might; the princess’s expression wavered for a moment as her stance widened as though she were breaking from it. Then, her brow furrowed tenfold and she stomped the ground, sending up a wave of flame from her open palm towards the sky. Assuming a final, readied stance, she gestured to Sasuke.

“I hope you’re ready.”

He closed his eyes a moment and sighed. “Do I have to strip down as well?”

When Azula said nothing, he turned to look at the others who gave him varying degrees of shrugs; Zuko gave him a short nod and Sasuke peeled off his shirt and removing his sword and rope around his waist to come down to just wearing his pants. Katara was surprised to find that he did not look as toned and muscled as Azula did; this wasn’t to say he was unfit, quite the opposite, she doubted there was any body fat on him period. But his frame was almost modest in how unremarkable it was, though she was sure she was about to become privy to just how much strength he actually possessed.

Stretching his arms, Sasuke resumed his stance of looking utterly unfazed by the situation, contrary to Azula’s raised hands and bent knees, ready to spring at a moment’s notice. Azula snapped without taking her eyes from Sasuke.

“Call it, Zuko.”

He looked incredibly torn for a moment and stepped forward as if to say something else before stopping and gripping Mai’s hand tightly. Gesturing for everyone to move back, he followed suit as the small group of onlookers retreated to a respectable distance. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before speaking in a voice that almost didn’t sound like his own.

“Fight.”

As though she had been waiting her whole life for this moment, Azula exploded forwards and upwards, blue flames erupting from her heels. Within the blink of an eye, she was above Sasuke and drew to life a massive sphere of flame that she sent crashing down on where he had been standing. The fire hit the ground and blossomed outwards in a furious dance of heat burning away all the grass in the immediate area before it even had a change to burn.

But as Azula touched down and all eyes moved to the blackened circle of earth where her attack had landed, it was clear that there had been no victim. Katara had to blink several times; she had to have been seeing things. Sasuke had been standing there one moment, as calm and collected as anyone could be, and somehow, had moved elsewhere without anyone else seeing his movement. She began to look around for him before she heard Toph practically whisper over the crackle of the fire.

“No way he’s that fast.”

Sasuke’s voice was just as composed as it had been before the Agni Kai had begun, but to Katara’s bewilderment, he hadn’t just moved out of the way of the attack. As she followed the sound of his voice, she saw he was somehow standing directly behind Azula with one hand twisting and pinning her arm behind her back and the other on top of her head, as if holding her in place.

_Impossible._

“I told you, you don’t have a chance. You don’t even know what to look for.”

Azula’s teeth were gritted in pain as Sasuke appeared to tighten his grip on her restrained arm. With a shout, she brought up her hand at an awkward angle and hurled a fireball behind her. Letting her go, Sasuke twisted and spun away as effortlessly as the wind and landed in the center of where Azula’s initial attack had landed. Straightening amongst the scorched dirt, he spread his arms.

“Care to try again?”

Hardly seeming to need the encouragement, Azula raced towards him but instead of directly attempting to get on top of him, she broke off into a tight strafe, intent on keeping her eyes on him. It was clear she was watching for any signs of him moving, to try and see how he had moved so quickly as she unleashed a flurry of firebolts from her clenched fists.

But Sasuke made no attempt to move away, at least not to any major degree. Rather, he bent and curved his body as the attacks neared his body, avoiding every single one of them without his feet even leaving the spots they had been planted. Katara saw Azula’s face contort in frustration before she stopped in her attempt at circling him and smashed the ground with her fists. A wave of flame arced from the ground and swept across it, racing towards Sasuke’s position.

At what was likely the last possible second, Sasuke moved, but not in any way that Katara had ever seen a person move. He seemed to flicker for a moment and suddenly the fire was _behind_ him, as though she had just moved through it without taking even the slightest singe.

He gazed at Azula an almost contemptible look. “You’ve got to better than that.”

Before she could make any move to respond to his remark, he rushed forward with a speed that Katara wasn’t even sure Aang raced around on his air sphere could match. In a flash, he was on top of Azula and had tackled her to the ground; as they both fell to the ground, he pulled his knees up to his chest and kicked off of her to jump high in the air as the princess smashed into the ground and skidded backwards a dozen yards. Sasuke touched down as Azula rolled to all fours, looking as though she had seriously just had the wind knocked out of her.

She pushed herself shakily to her feet and it was clear that hit had done some damage; she wobbled before steadying herself and winced severely as she raised her hands once more. This pain didn’t keep her from snarling at her opponent, however.

“What’s the point of packing all that firepower of your own if you aren’t even going to use it?!”

Sasuke seemed to look mildly confused for a moment before looking to his right and left with his arms spread. “Don’t need it.”

If his intent had been to spearhead Azula into launching into another crazed frenzy of attacks, it worked to perfection. Shouting with fury, she unleashed another flurry of flaming missiles towards him and he walked slowly towards her, moving and twisting gently to avoid the attacks. It was then that Katara saw that he wasn’t dodging her moves, not even most of them; his arms and hands swung gracefully about and seemed to swat the projectiles clean out of the air, but they seemed to implode the minute they struck his palms as though he were absorbing them.

Azula seemed to recognized the pointlessness of her continued effort and ceased her attack. Katara saw that the princess’s chest was heaving as she attempted to maintain control of her breathing and likely heart rate; she was blowing through too much energy too quickly and it was already starting to take its toll. Katara didn’t need to look at Sasuke to know he was well aware of the advantage he was pressing, but still, he made no overly aggressive move to overtake her.

Zuko stepped up suddenly, fists balled and raised as he shouted, “He’s trying to bait you, Azula!! Don’t play his game!!”

Katara, alongside everyone else in the small viewing group, stared in utter surprise at Zuko but he paid them no mind.

“Watch for an opening, don’t waste all your energy trying to make one!!”

There was no easy way to tell if his words were even reaching his sister or not, but she didn’t make another attempt to attack, simply matched Sasuke’s movements, pacing in a wide circle and keeping her gaze locked firmly on him.

Sasuke didn’t look over to Zuko, but a smirk crossed his face. “That’s right, your highness, listen to your brother. I’ve heard you both are quite close, it would surely behoove you to heed his advice.”

He made an expression of mock realization as he looked upwards towards the indigo sky above where stars would soon swim into vision.

“Oh, that’s right, you actually rather hate each other, if I’m to understand the situation. Beats me why he wanted so badly to rescue you. Maybe to get a chance to take you out himself.”

His hand made several motions too fast for the eye to follow and fire of his own, orange and vibrant in a harsh contrast to Azula’s blue flames. It did nothing more than swim almost lazily around his arm, but Katara could tell he was indeed baiting, an assumption she further found proven by his continued verbal jabbing.

“You really don’t have much, do you, now that you’ve been stripped of your position? You’re worth only as much as a sacrifice to your father and the rest of your family sees you as a power-hungry violent sociopath. Can’t blame them for wanting to distance themselves as much as they have from you.”

If Katara didn’t know any better, she would have sworn she had seen something like hurt flit across Azula’s face for the barest moment as the fire dancing around the plains illuminated her face. Zuko had his teeth tightly clenched, but he looked unable to say more that, or perhaps couldn’t think of anything of help to add.

Sasuke stopped pacing and widened his stance, inhaling long and deeply. “I can tell you’re alone, and in another now, I might feel sorry for you. But I can also tell you’re a monster, you’re driven by single goals and you don’t care what gets destroyed between here and there, relationships, people, lives.”

In the roaring glow of his fire, Katara caught sight of his face and saw that he was smiling, a truly frightening thing.

“Kind of like me.”

He turned away and walked another couple steps away as though pondering something important.

“But as it happens, I’ve just discovered what may be my first big step forward in reclaiming who I am. I have things to do and places to be.”

He pointed at Azula, fire spitting and crackling around his arm.

“And you’re wasting my time.”

Sasuke seemed to say something quietly before a raging tempest of fire spewed outward, razing everything within its massive grasp. Katara had time to see Azula’s wide eyes before her figure was completely engulfed in the boiling flame. But as Sasuke waved a hand and dissipated his fire, it was clear that just as Azula’s first attack had been left targetless, so too had his.

Azula, who had managed to dip away just in the nick of time, came rocketing in low from his side and with a shout, threw a punch towards Sasuke. He almost managed to completely avoid it, but somehow she still connected with his cheek and his head snapped to the right at the force of the hit. Azula hit the ground and rolled into a crouch where she came up, a smile on her face at the fact that she had finally been able to make contact.

“All right!” Zuko shouted, pumping his fists and Katara had to shake her head at how surreal this whole thing was, Zuko pulling for Azula in any situation at all.

But her eyes returned to Sasuke quickly and it was almost immediate to tell that the atmosphere had changed. There was something sinister in the air as though another presence they couldn’t see had just come to stand among them. Sasuke stared at the ground for a moment while he flexed his jaw. Slowly, he turned his gaze up as the smallest trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

“Alright then.”

He was on top of Azula in an instant, throwing a knee into her gut. Her eyes widened as she gasped in pain, curling around his leg before he smashed an elbow down onto her back. She crumpled at his feet and he stared down at her coughing form a moment before reaching down and grabbing her by the hair. She cried out in pain through clenched teeth as he hoisted her to eye level.

“Even someone like you might get a lucky hit in every once in a while.”

Katara closed her eyes and looked away as he drew back with his other fist and punched Azula across the mouth. Even closing her eyes, the sound it made caused her to flinch regardless and she looked back to see Azula sprawling into the grass. She tried to pick herself up but Sasuke made it over to her and threw a kick into her ribs. Azula yelled in pain and rolled over just in time for him to stomp on her stomach. She curled around his foot and he pulled it back and flipped her over to lie face down on the ground where she remained gasping and breathing hard.

Sasuke looked up to the onlookers, a clear hatred glowing in his eyes. This was not even close to the expression he had led into the Agni Kai with, this was something far more malicious in nature. Katara realized that she was biting her tongue and she saw that Aang looked utterly horrified next to her. Sokka had his face pulled in a pained expression and Toph had turned away, hands covering her ears. Mai and Zuko both looked as though they wanted nothing more in the world than to intervene, but they remained as still as statues, their faces furious and horrified.

Pointing at them all, Sasuke growled. “She asked for this.”

Katara looked down and behind him to see that Azula was trying to crawl away, possibly to try and get back to her feet but unfortunately, Sasuke noticed it too. He turned away from them and walked towards Azula’s battered form; Aang finally shouted out, “She’s beaten, just leave her alone!!”

Sasuke shook his head without looking back.

“No, she’s not.”

He stamped on her left calf and Azula screamed into the dirt as he ground his heel on her. Reaching down again, he seized the back of her neck and lifted her, almost reverently, like he were examining a never before seen animal. Then, he looked back to them.

“When she can’t move, when she realizes she is truly, and entirely beaten and submits, then this stops.”

Looking to meet her eyes, Sasuke stared deep into Azula’s hateful expression.

“How about it? Ready to be done?”

She swore at him and drew back a hand to send a spear of fire to strike him but he reached up and caught her wrist, sending her attack flying high off its mark and into the sky. Then he pulled back that same hand and punched her across the face again. Azula fell to the ground but before she could so much as try and get to her feet, Sasuke was on top of her and he hit her again. She crashed to the ground and tried shakily to push herself up, but he bent down and hit her again.

Katara found that she was shaking. Listening to the dull smack of fist against flesh and hearing Azula’s pained cries every time that the awful noise resounded over the plains was enough for her to desperately want this to stop. No matter how much Azula had done to them, no matter what she might’ve tried, seeing _anyone_ beaten so badly was causing her to feel exceptionally nauseous. Aang had dropped to the ground and was holding his head in his hands; Katara heard him begging quietly. “Please… please stop.”

She could see now the utter change that had come over Sasuke. His cool demeanor was still present with almost his every movement, but his face was pulled in something like pure disgust, eyes alive with disdain. There was no more collectiveness in them, it was as though he had become someone else entirely; he was playing with her still, but there was a clear and sadistic edge to his actions. He would let Azula scramble away, and as she would hurl fire desperately at him, he would either deflect or avoid the attack and lazily flash on top of her again, landing another hit.

And as Katara listened to the hits, lowering her eyes to the ground and feeling them burn with tears, she realized how much she truly hated being completely powerless to help someone. Stepping in would only further exacerbate the situation and it was she could do to keep her feet planted where she stood and wish it would end.

* * *

It was hurt unlike anything she was used to. Every blow felt like enough for her to fall and not get up, but she stayed standing and rose to her feet when she did fall. Every piece of her being denied possibility of losing, of being defeated. But as Azula yelled in pain as another punch slammed into her gut, she realized there was more to it then her striving for victory.

She realized as her body ached and bled that part of her was relishing this. As her mind buzzed with the physical pain being driven into her, it pushed the true pain that she had yet to accept aside. She had begun to feel it growing and becoming unavoidable following her father's attack against her and her friends, but part of her knew that this pain had been present in her heart for much longer than that.

So as she forced herself to take hit after hit, she allowed the pain to roll over her and felt something almost like relief.

It was one of the more magnificent feelings she could remember having ever experienced.

But through this punishment, reality never quite faded. The reality that she was no longer in charge, no longer in control of much of anything. The reality that all she had were people who had always been willing to be by her side that she had never paid much mind, and that she had a brother who was trying so very hard to be a part of her life.

And overriding all that was the constant and baneful reminder that she still had to beat Sasuke.

* * *

Sasuke was only distantly aware of how much worse this had become than he had originally envisioned it. For a while, it had been rather going as swimmingly as he could have imagined; Azula was so tightly wound that she wasn't taking any of his movements into consideration and simply had been tearing through her energy reserves with reckless abandon. Sasuke had rather enjoyed making a show of effortlessly avoiding her attempts to strike him, with all of her anger seeming to only boil further as he remained untouched.

Then, Zuko had to go and open his mouth.

Sasuke had found himself surprised that anyone at all, let alone the brother she apparently was perpetually feuding with, would offer any advice or assistance of any kind. But she had heeded his words and he had chose to go on the offensive himself. He had found himself rather suddenly fed up with the princess, her attitude, the way she looked furiously at him, her obsessive desire to pursue what was really more of a revenge trip than anything, and her detestable drive to fight. And so, he had pulled up an attack of fire of his own to strike her down with.

Then, she had not only avoided his jutsu, but had _hit_ him.

He truly still wasn't sure how she had managed that.

 _I let her do it, I must have_ , was what he kept thinking compulsively, but he couldn’t be sure. This uncertainty, mixed with his own desire to move on and not be wasting time in a battle for honor, as well as his frustration with taking a hit had driven up a furious heat in him, and he had become entirely focused on beating her into submission. His hits were hardly at full force, but strong enough to deal plenty of damage and hurt for sure. Something had snapped within him and he was content to let it drive him forward, hurt her as badly as it needed to. Still, she seemed entirely intent on not collapsing completely due to pain and exhaustion.

Not that he was sure Azula's body even knew it _could_ lose; no matter how many times he struck her, she still would stagger away or fall to the ground and drag herself back up. Half the time, she would try and connect with some sort of fire based attack, but Sasuke deflected these carelessly, no longer wishing to even waste the time dodging them.

He threw another fist into her abs and she gasped, dropping to her knees at his feet as an unfocused attack sailed above Sasuke's head, scorching the early evening sky. She bent over, fingers digging into the burnt ground as he loomed over her.

“There's nothing left to prove. You aren't winning, and you aren't improving.”

Shouting and standing with a surprising amount of speed, Azula threw a fist towards his chin in a furious attempt at an uppercut. He clocked his head slightly to avoid it and then whipped a hand out and grabbed the wrist that rocketed past his head, twisting down. She grit her teeth as he forced her to bow by bending her arm towards him; her bloodied face looked to him for just a moment before he cracked her across the temple with another fist, sending her to the ground for the umpteenth time.

Even still, she rolled out of it and tried to stand yet again. Her first attempt failed as her knees buckled when she was halfway up and she dropped to the ground. As she saw him approaching, she made a noise of anger and pain and scrambled up, wobbling badly as she raised her hands. Sasuke stopped and stared at her, and gave his head a small shake.

“Why are you still trying?”

An almost halfhearted spout of flame burst from her palm which he caught as though it were a piece of rope and threw it aside. His Fire Release: Somatic Influence jutsu had effectively made any fire based attack she threw at him worthless if he saw it coming.

Sasuke looked deep into her eyes and saw how helpless she felt. But still she wouldn’t yield. As he stepped closer, she flashed out with a kick towards the side of his head; he ducked under it and smashed his open palm into her mouth, knocking her to the ground once more.

He stared down at her vainly, “This is it, then. Fighting is all you have left and you can't even do that, not really.”

With blood dripping into her eyes, she blinked it away and glared up at him hateful. Unblinking, he met her stare and slowly crouched down to get face to face with her and punched her again.

“Your family reviles you, your own father sees you as nothing more than an errant sacrifice.”

He gestured behind her towards the small group of nauseous looking onlookers.

“Your brother sees you as just a responsibility. He doesn't know what to do with you, though I bet if I killed you now, it would be a weight off his shoulders.”

In a move that utterly surprised him then, Azula turned her face in his direction and smiled at him, her face once more forming into a contemptuous sneer. “Do it then. Kill me.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Kill me like you killed your brother.”

Sasuke suddenly found himself once again standing above her, his joints seeming to snap him upright. The crackle of the surrounding fire and the wind through the surrounding plains faded away and he became aware of a buzzing in his ears that seemed to drown out all other sound. From the edges of his fingers upward, he felt an overpowering numbness and he had to remind himself to breathe.

_My brother._

The plains, the fire and Azula all disappeared in a rapturous moment as he suddenly saw something else entirely. There were the blasted remains of some building, rubble strewn about as though there had been a gigantic explosion of some kind. The sky was a distant and calming blue with clouds seeming to be dissipating in the distance as the sun beamed down from above.

And before him stood a man.

He had hair as black as Sasuke’s with a headband on his forehead adorned with a familiar symbol. His body was battered, dirt and bruises and blood littering it as he stood just ahead of Sasuke. Despite the state of him and the blood pouring from his mouth, he was smiling, eyes happy as he reached out.

_“Sorry, Sasuke… this is the last time.”_

And he was gone. Sasuke was standing again in a field of burning grass, the sky changing color as the day turned to night. To his side, a group of young people, all confused and hurting because of what was happening and just before him, a young woman who was looking up at him from where she had been knocked to, smiling with blood leaking from her mouth.

Turning wildly, Sasuke tried to see where the man had gone, the man that he knew all too well to be his brother. But he was nowhere to be seen, he wasn’t to be found, and deep down Sasuke knew why, even as his breathing became labored and he looked desperately about, that his brother wasn’t going to be found because he was…

“Gone.”

He whispered the words and knew the truth.

“Itachi… what have I done?”

As his brother’s name echoed against his ears, he wobbled at the knees. Out of the corner of his eye, he was distantly aware of Azula eying him with surprise at how much her attack with words had worked. She didn’t make any move to rise and attack again, he noticed, but he wouldn’t have cared if she had. He probably wouldn’t even have stopped her. Maybe getting hit by a torrent of flame would be enough to snap him out of the grip of pain that was paralyzing him just then.

“Oh dear, did I go too far?”

Azula’s confidence seemed to be returning as she rose to her feet with a grunt of pain. Sasuke looked blankly at her and saw that she was smiling again, that same arrogant and condescending smirk. Fire began to roll to life around her arms and she slowly bent into a readied crouch. Even despite all she had endured, she enjoyed the pain this was causing him and was still, somehow, still thinking of winning. “Poor little Sasuke, you look terribly hurt… don’t worry, you’ll get to see him again shortly.”

She rose into the air, hovering on blue jets of flame.

“Just answer me this: your brother, was he as pathetic as mine? Because if so, I can completely understand why you would kill him, in fact, I—”

Azula made it no further than that as Sasuke’s feet propelled him from the ground with as much force as they could muster and he cleanly tackled her out of the sky. They both crashed to the ground and she tried to crawl away, but he grabbed her ankle and pulled her back towards him, moving his head out of the way of a blast of fire that she fired his way. All the while, his thoughts raged madly, but only a spare few words were able to come together in his head.

_How did she know?_

It gave him great pleasure to pull her up by the shoulder and punch her, much harder than he had been hitting her before. Her head snapped back and struck the ground hard; behind him, he could hear Mai and Zuko both crying out something, but he couldn’t tell what it was, nor did he care to. This girl before him, this arrogant, stupid, selfish girl had just all but called Itachi pathetic. Suggested that Sasuke was utterly in the right in killing him.

His hate was almost suffocating.

Looking down at her dazed expression, he flashed several hand motions and muttered to himself, “Fire Release: Searing Touch.”

His right hand then glowed with a bright and distinct light. Sasuke could feel the heat from his palm from a significant distance. As he looked down at Azula, his heart beat with fury as he brought his hand towards her face.

_This only ends with someone getting burned, huh? Oh, I’ll burn you, Azula, you won’t forget this, I promise._

The joy in his heart could not be matched as he reached down towards her, but as his hand neared Azula’s face, he felt the hairs on his neck stand up and a twinge of apprehension. He had time to only turn his head a couple inches before what felt like two feet slammed into the side of his head. Sasuke felt himself go skidding several yards as his head spun with pain. He rolled to his feet and stood, looking to where he had been attacked.

Azula was lying on the ground, her eyes closed, perhaps finally passed out from the beating that she had taken. Standing just ahead of her, and glaring with fury and fear, was Ty Lee.

Dressed in a breastband the same as Azula, she also wore pants that looked like they might have been Suki’s, and her attire that bared much of her skin made it entirely clear how badly she had been wounded. She looked still the worse for wear after the hit she had taken from the Fire Lord, the wound on her shoulder looked painful, a large blackened sore that spread over her shoulder and across her chest. Katara had done a fair job on fixing it up, and Sasuke had gathered that there was still much more work to be done on it, but he would have been surprised if there didn’t remain a mark even after.

Despite her weakened look, it was impossible to not see the fierce protectiveness and determination shining in her brilliant eyes.

“You stay away from her. You don’t come _near_ her.”

Behind her, the rest of the onlookers had moved onto the field of battle, some more aggressively than others. Mai and Zuko joined Ty Lee to form a threesome of defenders standing over Azula; behind them, Katara had rushed over and was already sending her waterbending to work on the unconscious girl while Aang was at her shoulder lending support. Suki had joined the group at a point Sasuke hadn’t noticed and she stood hand in hand with Sokka slightly behind the rest, both of them watching Sasuke with trepidation. The only person who hadn’t moved was Toph, who was sitting down with her back to the lot of them, hands on her head and face pointed towards the ground.

He didn’t remember turning away from them, and it wasn't until he felt the burning in his lungs that he realized he had been running for quite some time. The plains that stretched above the temple seemed to stretch forever and as Itachi's face faded in and out of his head, he hoped he could run for at least that long.

* * *

As Zuko watched carefully as Katara ran her hands over his sister’s body and performed her healing magic, he tried to drown out the sounds of Mai and Ty Lee aggressively arguing just above Azula’s makeshift bed of blankets upon a table.

“… you really are unbelievable, that monster could have killed you!!”

“And I was supposed to just stand there like the rest of you chickens while Azula gets her head bashed in?! I thought you or Zuko of all people would have been willing to—”

“Watch it, Ty, this is about way more than that and you know it!! Azula went up against him on her own accord and she had every right to except that she would pay for it in blood!!”

“And she did!! And you all just stood there and watched!!”

Mai seemed to take a breather and collect herself. Though his attention was nearly entirely on the healing process of his sister, Zuko had distantly noticed how he wasn’t sure he had ever seen Mai get quite so wound up. She exhaled slowly before continuing.

“Ty Lee, try and understand what I’m saying. Something happened to Sasuke out there, whether he remembered something or had some other kind of mental epiphany, it made him take off. But if that hadn’t happened, if you had gone in when he was still in that… that place. He might have killed both of you.”

Aang, who had been at Katara’s back since they had moved Azula back down to the temple grounds, shook his head before quietly saying, “I don’t think so. It looked like he was about to burn her. End it, hopefully.”

Mai swallowed and shook her head, a grim look on her face. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m arguing anymore.”

She walked to a corner of the room and leaned against the wall like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

“I just thought… “

Mai laughed then, an almost hysteric, tired sounding noise. “I really thought I was about to lose both of you.”

Ty Lee remained standing over Azula, her chest heaving as she calmed herself in turn. The fierce determination didn’t fade from her voice, but when she spoke, her tone had softened immensely.

“I know. And I’m sorry. But I couldn’t let him hurt her any more.”

Suki and Sokka stood to the side, the latter looking terribly guilty as he spoke up, his eyes fixed on the ground. “I wish I could have done something. I really wanted to, it was really hard to watch him do all that, even if it was Azula.”

He looked up, eyes apologetic. “Sorry.”

Mai waved him off and Ty Lee sighed. Zuko heard all this, but didn’t acknowledge any of it as Suki elbowed him in the side.

“Don’t be stupid, you would have wound up just the same way if he hadn’t bolted. We all need to be grateful no one else got hurt.”

“We still should have done something.”

This came from Toph who was sitting in the corner opposite Mai, chin resting on her arms as she held them over her knees. Her voice was terribly downtrodden. “I hated that we didn’t. I don’t care that it was some stupid battle of honor that isn’t supposed to be interrupted, we should have known better and at least tried to stop it.”

Ty Lee gave her a look.

“Then why didn’t you?”

It wasn’t asked aggressively or rudely, but Aang still looked up angrily at this. “Hey, you can’t go and—”

But Toph spoke over him, voice cracking as she did.

“I was scared.”

Zuko looked up slightly to see that Toph was shaking where she sat, silently crying as she tried to keep the tears out of her voice.

“I’ve never been scared of anything before. I was never scared of my parents when they threatened me with punishments for misbehaving, I was never scared of any of the men I fought as the Blind Bandit, I was never scared of a single thing the Fire Nation threw at us, but up there… feeling his movements through the ground and feeling just how… just how cold and vicious he was. He scares me.”

She buried her face in her arms then and Suki released Sokka’s arm to walk over and sit beside her, pulling her into a hug. Ty Lee looked at them for a long while, looking like she wanted to say something before turning her gaze back down to Azula.

For several more minutes, the room became void of noise other than the soft trickle of Katara’s water running over Azula’s body. Then, with a gasp, Katara fell backwards into Aang’s legs who caught her. Zuko felt himself jolt forward as Katara heaved in deep, long breaths, his paralysis finally broken.

“Well?”

It was a moment before she could reply to him without difficulty and Zuko realized just how much effort she had been exerting and just how much she had been focused on the task of healing his sister, and his heart swam with gratitude.

“She’ll be fine. Everything was surface level injuries, cuts and bruises, no internal damage that I could find.”

With a wince, she got to her feet. “She’ll be asleep for a while yet, and she’ll be sore when she wakes up. But I’ve done all I can to heal what was there.”

Zuko felt relief watch over him and he fell to his knees, bowing deeply to her.

“Thank you, thank you so much.”

Sokka walked over and nudged him with his toe. “Hey, it’s all good, don’t go making it weird now.”

Katara didn’t seem to notice and as Zuko got back to his feet, he could see her eyes focused again, but on something much more distant than his sister now. It wasn’t hard to guess what it was and Katara spoke to it before long.

“Toph, have you felt anything?”

From where she was sitting, the girl looked up from Suki’s arms, sniffing.

“No. I can’t imagine he’s still running, but he’s not close to the temple wherever he is.”

Katara nodded firmly. “Good. Then we need to get the others and leave as soon as we can.”

Her words weren’t unexpected, but Aang still spoke up quietly, his voice hardly above a shaky whisper.

“Are you sure? If I just go find him, talk to him and—”

Immediately, Katara had rounded on him, eyes wide and angry as she jabbed a finger in his direction. “No, absolutely not! You of all people are not going _near_ him!”

He tried to speak up, but she shook her head and continued to snap over him.

“I don’t want him anywhere near you. He can run all night for all I care, but we need to put distance between him and us now, he is too dangerous.”

Aang finally managed to get a word in edgewise as he looked at her pleadingly. “That’s what I’m saying! I go to him, tell him the airship’s his and he takes it and goes!”

Katara continued to glare at him as Mai raised her voice. “You said he just wants to leave and go after Ozai!”

With a growl of frustration, Katara whirled away, hair flying around her shoulders in her ire. “But that’s just the other thing! How do we let him go if we know he’s going to try that?! Only Aang can defeat Ozai and his… meddling is just going to throw a wrench into _everything_!”

Her implication was clear and Sokka replied to her quietly, eyes watching his sister carefully.

“You think he can do it, can’t you?”

Muscles worked their way around in Katara’s jaw before she finally conceded with a cross of her arms and a halting nod. “If there’s anyone else who has a chance, yes, I would guess Sasuke could, based on what I’ve seen.”

Ty Lee looked at her equally as carefully, clearly not wanting to be the reason that Katara erupted properly, asking her question hesitantly.

“Then isn’t that a good thing? Let him try? One way or another, it makes him leave. And if he somehow beats the Fire Lord, then all the better. The Avatar doesn’t have to be put in any danger.”

Aang muttered something about “having a name” but jumped as Katara did indeed explode at this, shouting now.

“NO, DON’T ANY OF YOU GET IT?!”

She seemed to catch herself very quickly as her voice rebounded off the walls of the temple’s inner grounds and she calmed herself again. When she spoke again, her voice was dark and clipped.

“It has to be Aang. It’s just this thing that we know to be true. Everyone’s said as much, all the written prophecies and texts claim the same thing, even the Avatars that Aang has communed with have said the same thing.”

Toph’s voice was the quietest of all as it asked the most important question.

“What if they’re wrong?”

All the fight seemed to drain from Katara and she looked to the ceiling, sighing long and loud. “I don’t know, Toph. Then we’ve done this all for nothing. But if Sasuke goes and beats Ozai without us… “

Zuko, who had been considering the same thing, finished her thought.

“Who’s to say something worse won’t wind up coming about with someone as dangerous and unpredictable as him walking away the victor.”

She nodded miserably. Mai waited a long moment to make sure that the floor was hers before adding what she had likely hoped to say before.

“But that’s the other thing. When… when the fight was over and we saw Sasuke just before he ran off, did any of you guys happen to look at him?”

The collective turned to look at her and she shrugged. “Maybe it’s stupid, but… he looked absolutely devastated. I know we were all on edge, and scared, and mad, but when I put all that aside, I realized how totally agonized he looked.”

Sokka cocked his head in her direction. “What are you suggesting?”

Biting her lower lip in a moment of thought, Mai began to slowly pace the room’s interior.

“Maybe… maybe while he was fighting Azula, something happened. I couldn’t see or hear everything, but there were times when they talked to each other, right? That wasn’t just me?”

As they all nodded, she continued, “I thought so. What if… while they were fighting, he remembered something or recalled some experience, something that he had forgotten. Zuko told me that his memory is patchwork and full of holes at best. Maybe there’s something to that.”

She stopped and rocked on her heels. “And who’s to say, if he _did_ remember something that messed him up, that going after Ozai is still his goal?”

The possibility of this settled over the group and Zuko reflected on what Mai had said. If Sasuke had really experienced something, maybe things had changed, but if was entirely possible they could get even worse. Maybe he saw something that told him waterbenders had perhaps killed his family and once he settled, he was going to come after Katara. Or maybe he had experienced some twisted vision of the Fire Nation’s military destroying something, someone or someplace very dear to him. The possibilities were all rather endless, but as Zuko thought, he couldn’t help but imagine all the most awful and dark prospects of Sasuke having some epiphany.

Finally, Sokka spoke up, bringing all their collective musing to a halt.

“We should bring this up with the others. They may not be as involved in the current situation, but they’re still part of this group and deserve to know what’s going on.”

He looked to Aang.

“Can you get pretty high without being spotted from the ground and still be able to… “

He trailed off, but his meaning was not lost on Aang who nodded. “I’ve got it.”

As he made for the door, Katara grabbed him by the upper arm and for a moment, Zuko felt scared of her as she glared almost threateningly at Aang. “You do not let him see you, you do not approach him, you do not speak with him, if you find him. Just try and find where he is, but if you go near him, so help me Aang, I’ll… “

It was Ty Lee of all people who cut her off. “He’s got it.”

Katara looked to her and Aang’s gaze moved to the ground and Zuko saw how sad he looked more than anything.

“Yeah, I know.”

And he was the first one out the door. Sokka let the moment pass before turning to the rest of them. “Someone should stay with Azula obviously… “

Ty Lee moved over to the side of the princess’s makeshift bed and planted herself firmly on a stool that had been there since likely before any of them were born.

“I’ll stay.”

This wasn’t questioned and Sokka gave her a nod before looking to the rest of them.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Zuko was the last one out the door and he likely would have spent several moments longer staring at his sister before Mai took his arm and led him out. He closed his eyes as they followed after the others, thinking excruciatingly to himself.

_Azula… why?_

* * *

The entire engagement took seconds.

For the traveler, everything slowed to a beautifully slow pace as though the soldiers were moving underwater. Their movements were sluggish and their attacks more than telegraphed as they moved in his direction to pay back his defiance.

The rocks sailed over his head as he slid beneath them and reached the leader before he could even move his hammers back to a readied position. The traveler's sword met him first, entering through his neck and out the back; without a word, the leader fell to his knees and would drop to the ground, but the traveler was long past him before this happened.

As the situation seemed to progress to quickly for them to even really acknowledge, the two more confident soldiers bore down on him, and the traveler's sword came up. The first of the two was slashed through the chest and the traveler rolled around his body to stab the other through the back of his head. Leaving the both of them to collapse as quietly as their leader had, he turned his attention to the remaining three.

By the look in their eyes, he could tell one of two things was about to happen: either they would turn and run, or they would all charge him in a frenzy based on whomever moved first. Regardless, the fear he saw in their eyes was enough to tell him it would be one or the other. The traveler moved his eyes to the man in the middle and smiled.

This was enough to spur action and the one in the center gave a scream of desperation and raced forward, flailing his pike wildly and jabbing every which way. His two companions followed suit, swords drawn and swinging about chaotically.

Five seconds later, the last of their bodies collapsed to the ground.

Drawing a cloth, the traveler cleaned off his blade and sheathed it, looking around for the old man and the woman. As he looked about, he only saw the old man now, approaching him with a sad look on his face that contrasted the previously happy and buoyant attitude he had displayed earlier. As the old man joined him, the traveler asked, “Where is the woman? And her child?”

Sighing and looking behind him, the old man pointed and through the tents, the traveler saw a small gathering of people who had clearly not noticed his brief squall with the Earth Nation soldiers clamoring about and shouting. In the center, he saw the woman who had been harassed by the men he had just killed being dragged among them, tossed about and grabbed by all manner of people. It was clear to see her distress from them, and the traveler put a hand on the handle of his sword and stepped towards the fray, but the old man put out a hand to stop him.

The traveler stared at him, “Why are you stopping me? She’s in danger again!”

The old man's eyes were distant and depressed as he looked on to the same spectacle.

“That woman stole both the child and the things she was attempting to pass through the desert with. While the child's parents were attempting to be fitted for travel cloaks, she took the child and their satchel of belongings and attempted to make it past the guards. The Earth Nation soldiers will almost always demand a fee of sorts, and she had hoped that taking the child would move their hearts to pity. I saw her thieving in the market and tried to reach he before the soldiers, but was unsuccessful.”

The pair of them continued staring on as the woman was pulled towards the dock, her hair being pulled and clothes being ripped by the furious mob.

“You were still willing to pay to have the woman set free of those men,” the traveler stated almost a question and the old man lifted a shoulder and lowered it softly.

“I had hoped to keep the child from being harmed. If the soldiers let her be, I could have hopefully returned the child to its parents without further trouble. If she had taken it, she likely would have left the child somewhere in the desert as soon as she was out on her own.”

The furious mob moved out of sight behind some tents and the din of it all began to fade away as the traveler asked softly.

“What will become of her?”

“I cannot say for sure,” the old man replied. “She might have a hand cut off, or perhaps will be dragged through the desert behind a mount and handed over to Ba Sing Se authorities if she survives the trip.”

Not particularly feeling pity, the traveler looked back at the six dead soldiers who lay behind him, sand slowly wisping over their forms.

“I stood up for a kidnapper and a thief,” he murmured. The old man surprised him with a laugh then.

“You also stood up for an elderly man and a baby. So you’re two for three and I’d call that positive.”

The traveler looked down to stare at the old man, utterly befuddled by his seemingly indomitable positivity. Even with dead corrupt soldiers and women stealing children for personal gain, he still had a smile on his face.

“What do people call you, old man?”

The laughing eyes misted over then as though he had been utterly caught up in old memories. He stroked his beard before giving the traveler a sigh.

“I have been called many things, some of them titles, some of them insulting names and not a one of them of my own choosing. But I would be honored if you would call me Iroh.”

The man the traveler now knew to be Iroh looked at him intently. “And you my friend, look as lost as anyone I’ve ever seen. You mentioned you're traveling to the big city to find someone?”

Not wishing to delve into it any further and reveal how utterly correct Iroh was in his sentiment, the traveler simply nodded. Iroh gave him a warm smile.

“Then I would be most grateful if you would allow me to accompany you.”

He pointed to the soldiers and spread his arms. “Someone like me would very much benefit from having you as a traveling companion. As lost as you seem, your skill with a blade is not something you’ve found missing.”

The traveler opened his mouth, preparing to try his best to politely refuse, but Iroh raised a finger. “Oh, and I can cook for you as well. It will take us a couple days to reach Ba Sing Se, and I can promise you, traveling on meager rations will not do your body well. I can make a fairly decent pot of tea as well.”

Catching himself, the traveler considered this. His food situation was something close to bare necessities and the satchel of food the old man had picked up from the market looked more than a little appetizing. And on top of that, he found that despite his desire to be alone, having company was a pleasure he hadn’t expected to find so appealing.

“Alright then, Iroh. Do you have a mount?”

Iroh gestured to the watering hole where the traveler’s ostrich horse also mulled about, oblivious to the chaos that had previously taken place. “I do, he’s just there.”

The traveler nodded. “Then that will do. We should move on before authorities in the market and aboard the ship no longer are occupied with that woman and find us among these bodies.”

“I quite agree.”

The pair of them moved to the watering hole and took the reins of their respective mounts; as the traveler checked to make sure his meager supplies were still slung aboard his animal, Iroh handed him a straw hat, or kasa as the traveler had heard the shop owner call it as he had passed by.

“For the sun, my young friend,” Iroh said as he adjusted his own. “The sun out here will bake you if you’re not careful.”

With a nod of thanks, the traveler pulled it over his head and with a snap of his reins, he fell in beside Iroh, their mounts moving at a steady trot. The bay and small market fell into the distance behind them as the sand stretched before them for seemingly endless miles.

The traveler grunted in reaction to the sight. “We’ll be lucky to reach the city with you still alive, old man.”

Iroh laughed, a charming and wholesome sound that the traveler found was surprisingly uplifting to his spirit. “Don’t count me out yet. I’ve still got life in these old bones.”

Under the shadow of his hat, the traveler could see his expression visibly darken. “And I still have things to see to.”

The serious look passed quickly and Iroh looked over to the traveler, all smiles once more.

“But of all the things I wanted to ask you about, I think there’s something very important I need to ask you.”

The traveler internally grimaced; he hoped he wasn’t about to out himself in front of Iroh and reveal that he had no more memory of his life than the barest details. The old man had truly hit the nail on the head when he had called him lost, he was lost in more ways than one.

But as he readied himself to disappoint whatever specifics that Iroh was about to question him over, he found that he was asked a question that he hadn’t expected.

“What do people call _you_ , my young friend?”

The traveler had to keep himself from breathing a sigh of relief. That was a question he could indeed answer and he did, as he looked back over his shoulder at the now barely visible ocean disappearing under the haze of the desert.

“Obito.”


	8. Chapter 8

** Chapter 8: Midnight **

As Aang took to the sky in a search that he almost hoped would turn up no results, his mind raced. He wanted very badly to talk to Sasuke, but there was a part of him that was still so entirely fearful of the young man that he felt Katara’s warning was likely how he should approach the situation.

_I can see that he’s lost, though… just like… I used to be._

The thoughts were churning and overpowering, so as he lifted up towards the roof of clouds, it could perhaps be understandable why he failed to notice the six black shapes dropping out of the sky behind him, descending towards the temple.

* * *

The sky had grown dark by the time Sasuke had stopped running. The plains truly might have gone on forever and he found himself knee high in the waving blades of green, the gentle wind rustling them as he looked to the stars twinkling above him. The moon was out in force that evening, large and seeming as bright as the sun, illuminating him in his wide and vast surroundings. Something about how alone he felt was enough to calm his rampant nerves and with that, it gave him a chance to actually reflect on the emotions and thoughts, something that would have been impossible in the previous minutes.

The first thing that finally crashed down around him, forcing him to confront it, was Itachi. His brother’s face and words continued to assail him as he jammed his eyes shut and dropped to his knees in the grass. No matter what Ozai had done, what he had brought about, it had been Sasuke and Sasuke alone who had taken the life of his own brother. It was something so significantly painful that for what could have been minutes, it blocked out all else. The agony came in waves, again and again, crashing over his heart until he didn’t think he could bear it any longer.

_Think… think about something else… anything else._

How had this come to return to his jumbled memory? Azula, that’s right. She had known, somehow, impossibly, she had known. How could that have been? That she would know more about his past than he did? Sasuke wasn’t sure, but when he had calmed down, he intended to find out. Whether or not he would be allowed, let alone welcome, back into the group’s folds was besides the point. Azula knew something and she was going to have to spill it; all the damage he had dealt her would be absolutely trivial compared to what would become of her if she denied him these answers.

Another several blurred minutes passed before Sasuke realized he was still thinking about her.

She had proven to him more than he had expected, actually by quite a massive margin. Her ability to had landed a hit on him aside, her utter resilience in the face of his beating was genuinely shocking. The willpower that had forced her on, to keep from conceding was something that he found grudgingly familiar.

_We might be more alike than I care to admit._

Sasuke groaned as these thoughts once again led back to Itachi. Just being able to remember his brother’s name had been enough to usher in a collection of memories that came back in bits and pieces. He remembered Itachi poking him on the forehead in a sign of affection, he remembered how happy he had been with his older brother when they were young, he remembered… there was something else. His brother had undergone a terrible series of tribulations in order to protect their people and still Ozai and his cohorts and done away with them all anyway. And that culmination had been to bring brother against brother and Sasuke to emerge with Itachi’s blood on his hands.

His fists tightened to numbness; there was still a great deal he didn’t recall, but he knew enough now. Part of him didn’t even want to remember anymore, this was more than sufficient in providing him with a path forward. Ozai would pay, and his Earth Nation conspirators would pay.

There was another noise that roused him from his thoughts that was displaced from the wind pulling gently at the grass, a gentle whoosh and the sound of something light landing behind him. From his knees, he looked back to see Aang standing several yards behind him with something like a glider in his hands. Sasuke looked away again, out into the deep indigo of the night.

“I suppose you’re here to tell me I’m not welcome to return.”

Aang didn’t wait to reply. “No, actually. Sokka thought it was smart that we at least know where you are for the purposes of planning ahead. Katara would kill me if she knew I was talking to you, she specifically ordered me to not go anywhere near you.”

Sasuke snorted softly, “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a proper talking-to from her.”

Walking up beside him and surprising Sasuke by sitting down beside him, relatively close, Aang said, “She’s not so bad once you get to know her, she’s just super protective.”

Realizing he didn’t mind Aang’s presence alongside him, Sasuke let silence fall between them for a little while before asking, “How’s Azula?”

He tried to sound as uncaring as he could, but it was impossible to not see Aang’s curious expression directed towards him as he replied.

“She’s okay. Katara patched her up good, she just needs rest now.”

“And now you’ve come all this way to talk to me.”

Propping his elbows on his knees from where he sat cross-legged, Aang put his chin heavily in his hands. “It would be impossible to try and convince anyone to try bringing you back for a chat right now. Everyone has… some pretty clear emotions towards you, I gotta say.”

Sasuke shrugged. “I can’t blame them. Though I have the feeling it could have been a lot worse than that.”

Aang winced, “Don’t repeat that to anyone.”

He paused for a while before adding, “Everyone’s just scared, I think. Of you and what you can do.”

Sasuke looked to the boy.

“And you’re not?”

Tilting his head from side to side, Aang seemed to consider this before shaking his head. “I guess not in the sense that everyone else does. You’re scary, sure, but I assume that something happened while you were fighting Azula that really set you off. I could see it in your eyes. I don’t think you really want to hurt any of us, you’ve just got a very clear endgame in mind, and you don’t want anyone getting in your way. Katara and everyone probably sees that as dangerous, and I suppose that makes sense to me.”

Growling, Sasuke looked up towards the moon as he snapped.

“She’s being stupid. All that nonsense about a ‘prophecy’ and returning balance ‘the right way’ like there’s no other options. For people who want to see Ozai go down, you people sure are uptight about how to actually go about it.”

Silence came again before Aang said quietly. “You were right about me.”

Sasuke looked over, and Aang elaborated, his eyes downcast and with a forlorn look on his face.

“I don’t want to fight Ozai. I really would rather leave it to someone else. He has to be defeated, to be… killed. But everything I know, every personal belief I have would be violated if I killed him, but everyone talks about it like its just something that has to happen.”

The resentment was very clear in his voice, and he looked all the way like a person who was worried about talking badly of his elders, but also desperately needed to.

“No one cares what I think. No one cares what I believe to be right. I’m just expected to do it.”

Sasuke looked back ahead as he considered what Aang had said. “You’re a kid. All of you are, but you seem more so than anyone, even Toph. Your innocence is impossible to not notice.”

He turned his head up to the stars again, his voice turning bitter as Aang’s plight echoed distantly of his own. “You’re expected to follow through with what others believe to be the natural order of things because of what you are. People see you as both a person and a tool, something to achieve an goal, in this case, ending this war. You will be judged no matter what you choose and no matter what you feel. It’s your duty to yourself to listen to your own heart and obey what it tells you, regardless of how that affects others.”

Aang didn’t reply for a moment, but when he did, it was almost enough to make Sasuke crack a small smile.

“You know, you can be pretty deep when you want to be.”

Sasuke’s amusement at Aang’s remark quickly faded, however as the reality of his own situation returned to the forefront of his mind. He stood and straightened, trying to rationalize his own thoughts and feelings.

“I’m going to take down Ozai because he wiped out my people. I was forced into fighting and killing my own brother as the result of something I don’t understand and don’t remember. I have to take my questions directly to him and if Katara and whoever else are opposed to it, I’m afraid that’s just going be something they have to deal with.”

Aang’s words were quiet again, but firm.

“If it comes to blows, I will protect them. Even if I feel I can sort of understand you, Sasuke, they’re still my family.”

For a moment, Sasuke felt an inward grimace at how Aang was so willing to stand by people who were being so brutally expectant of him before he shook his head. “I don’t want it to come to that, and I will do all I can to avoid that scenario. But this is what needs to happen, for me. I can’t expect them to understand and while I can’t blame them, they need to stay out of my way.”

Anger was searing at his insides now, a fervent reminder of not only what they thought of him, but how he had been treated.

“I know I’m a monster to you all. I understand why Katara is always in my face, always looking at me like I’m a bomb about to go off, and I’m okay with that. I’m not asking to be accepted, I’m just asking for you to let me go my own way, even if that conflicts with something you’re all so stuck on believing.”

He waited for Aang to tell him why he was wrong and why Ozai’s defeat had to be at his hands. But the boy said nothing of the sort, simply remarked, “I don’t think you’re a monster.”

Sasuke turned to stare at him. Aang was looking off a ways towards nothing in particular, but a sad smile was etched on his face.

“When I see you, I see Azula, actually. You’re lonely, but you don’t want to let anyone get close. You don’t want to let anyone in because you’re scared of loss. You’re scared of being human and what that might mean. But I think you should listen to your own advice and follow your heart, because it sounds more like you’re just feeding into these preconceived ideas of purpose like I am. What with ‘having’ to kill Ozai and everything.”

Aang hopped to his feet and looked over at Sasuke, still looking sad, but the sympathy Sasuke also saw was far more than he had since received from any of the others.

“If you have to leave, then so be it. But if it means anything, I do understand what you’re trying to do.”

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of night air before his staff became a glider once more. “I spend every day wishing I could just take my own path like you say, and not be strung along as though nothing I believe or feel matters.”

Just before he took off into the sky and became one with the dark of the night, he looked back at last time.

“I’m glad I got to meet you, Sasuke.”

And wish another soft whoosh, he was gone just as quickly as he had come. Sasuke didn’t move from where he was standing as Aang’s words replayed in his head over and over again. The most crucial player in their entire group, the one who should have been more suspicious and cautious than any of the others had just sat next to him and discussed some fairly big topics. Beneath his pain, Sasuke felt impressed; Aang might have been a kid but there was a part of him that was a damn sight more mature than most adults.

He looked ahead to the darkened plains before him and wondered how far it was until he would hit perhaps a village of some kind where he could acquire some means of transportation. Yes, Aang’s group still had that airship, but returning to them now was starting to seem less and less plausible, not to mention an unwise decision. Confronting Azula could wait, dealing with any hostilities regarding his approach to Ozai could wait. For now, he would let it rest… but would that even help anything? In a moment of clarity that brought something like relief to him, Sasuke looked into the sky, trying in vain to spot the strange boy.

 _Thanks, Aang_.

When he finally started walking, he let his heart lead the way.

* * *

Sokka made a high-pitched noise that he really hoped none of his companions heard as a jet of fire he hadn’t seen narrowly missed his head and scorched the rocky wall behind him. He rolled behind some waist high cover and came out of it to be immediately met with one of the Fire Nation soldiers who had come out of nowhere just minutes ago. The soldier, while seeming just as surprised to see him as Sokka was, whipped a geyser of fire up just between them, but Sokka, thinking quickly, drew back his sword and thrust it forward. He came away with singed hands, but the geyser dissipated as his blade punched through the soldier’s chest and he dropped to his knees without a sound. Sokka withdrew his blade and moved towards the rest of the raging battle, continuously reminding himself that he, yet again, was one of the only few nonbenders present.

The attack had hit them when they were likely at their most blind; with the looming issue of Sasuke still very present, no one had been stationed or watching the skies and mere minutes after Aang had left to locate Sasuke, no fewer than a half dozen compact airships had dropped down to the temple’s level and Fire Nation soldiers had spilled out and onto the temple grounds. It had become nothing short of madness after that, people running and shouting and fighting, and Sokka desperately trying to make himself useful while also not becoming a pile of ashes.

As he reached the main floor of the temple, he saw what must have been the center of the battle. The Fire Nation soldiers were of a different breed then he was used to seeing, thinner armor that let them move faster and they attacked with sharper, quicker attacks than what Sokka was used to seeing. The only exception to their number was a man who looked straight out of a nightmare as he waded amongst his soldiers, swinging around a massive warhammer.

Toph was keeping this man, who must have been the leader, busy as she threw up stone walls to block him, trip him and crash against him and was impeding his progress, but still, the man pushed forward. He seemed to be a nonbender, and it was all the better for them that he was. Sokka had to stare at the man’s pure size as he loomed even taller than someone like Sparky Sparky Boom-Man, covered in ornamental armor. He shouldn’t have been able to take all the punishment Toph was dishing out towards him, but he seemed unstoppable as he pressed forward.

Any time a soldier would get anywhere near Toph to try and stop her assault on their general, Ty Lee would rush to meet them, beating them back with a succession of tight hits and they would drop to the ground, immobilized. Sokka found himself thinking gratefully towards the fact that she was on their side; he would never forget the humiliation on the riverbank of her toying with him. It was still jarring to see her and Toph side by side.

Suki was fighting alongside the both of them, moving quickly around to keep the pressure off Ty Lee and Toph, and Sokka felt both a rush of affection and envy as she darted effortlessly about her attackers. Why did she have to be such a better fighter than him?

The person nearest to him on his side that he could see was Mai and he raced to her side. She was handling herself fairly well, several soldiers lying around her with knives jutting from their bodies, but she was still being forced back. As Sokka neared them, he heard one of the soldiers say, “We should take her alive, she’s from one of the noble houses. Could get some good favor if we—argh!!”

This was as far as he got before Sokka slashed him across the back and he crashed to his knees. As his two companions turned to face the new threat, Mai dashed forward and sliced the throat of the first one open and whipping the knife towards the last one. He was quick, and caught her arm, forcing it backwards. She growled in pain and then to Sokka’s surprise, lowered herself ad full-body tackled the man to the ground. As they both struggled, Sokka raced up and ended the man’s movements with a blow to the head. Mai shoved the body off of her and took his hand. As he pulled her up, she massaged her shoulder with a grimace.

“Damn, that hurts. Think he might have pulled something.”

Knowing a little something about physical wounds, Sokka took her shoulder in his hand and squeezed gently and Mai yelped. He nodded, “Dislocated, maybe. You should sit this one out. My dad and Chit Sang took the kids deep into the temple, try and—”

With her uninjured limb, she shoved him away. “Piss off, joker. I can still fight, and I’m not leaving this to you of all people.”

He swelled, “What exactly do you mean by—”

Mai rolled her eyes and waved a hand. “Kidding.”

They looked back to the main plateau where the battle raged on. In the center of it, a distance away from Toph and Ty Lee’s struggle with the general, Zuko and Katara were taking on the brunt of the of the soldiers’ numbers and were fighting like mad dogs. Fortunately, the fountainhead was near enough that Katara was able to draw on it with relative ease, though with the numbers they were facing, even she might reach a point where she was overwhelmed. Though with Zuko at her side conjuring raging fire all around that seemed infinitely more powerful than the attacks thrown his way by the Fire Nation soldiers. The look on his face was one that dredged up unpleasant memories in Sokka’s mind, recollections of a very furious prince trying to reclaim his honor.

He was jolted back into the moment as Mai swatted him in the stomach.

“Let’s go.”

Without a moment more to spare, she was back into the fray, weaving into the soldiers, cutting at any exposed parts she could see, adding yet another element of chaos to the already maddening fray. Shaking his head in mild disbelief, Sokka too rushed forward, waving his sword around madly and trying to pull as much attention as he could from his sister and their companions.

“On your right, Sokka!!”

He just had time to turn to see Haru rushing his way, flinging a mass of stones towards two of the men Sokka was about to engage. They were knocked aside by the attack and Haru planted himself at Sokka’s side, looking at him with a big smile.

“I’m here to help!!”

With a fair bit on his tongue that he wanted to say, Sokka instead was forced to whip his sword above Haru’s head to force back a soldier walking their way with fire spewing from his fists. Haru stomped and a piece of rock rose from the ground and slammed into the soldier’s chest, knocking him away. Seeing a brief lull, Sokka grabbed Haru by the shoulder and looked at him angrily.

“Who let you come up here?!”

“No one. I… snuck past Hakoda and Chit Sang when they weren’t looking.”

Sokka groaned in aggravation. “You shouldn’t be here! This is our fight, you need to leave!”

Haru’s expression of enthusiasm quickly twisted into one of annoyance. “I’m just as old as any of you! And I can fight!”

Sokka wasn’t able to come up with a reply as they were rushed on both sides by soldiers and forced to deal with them as they came.

_Damn it, Haru._

There was not going to be any time to sit him down and explain how this worked, he was just going to have to keep an eye on him. Part of him wished for days past when they had met Haru originally, how he had been shy and fearful of his own abilities. Anything to keep him from this fight.

_We need to protect them, not put them in the thick of it. He can bend, but can he really fight? Could he take a life if the situation demanded it?_

There was a mental gap that Haru would have to cross if he truly wanted to make a difference and lend true aid to the situation.

But Sokka soon found that he was no longer able to keep track of Haru and still defend himself adequately. After all, he remained a nonbender as earth, fire and water rushed around him in a deadly symphony of the elements. Not for the first time, he cursed his own uselessness even as he ran his sword through a Fire Nation soldier taking aim at his sister.

_Just once, I’d like to not feel entirely pointless._

And though he barely had time to reflect on it, he thought wistfully in the back of his head as he watched the Fire Nation attack force swarm around them.

_Aang… please hurry back._

* * *

Aang’s heart was in his throat the moment he neared the ravine on his glider, and saw the airships hovering just above the temple’s precipice. All thoughts of Sasuke raced from his mind as he went into a near nosedive, trying to rationalize what he was about to see.

_If any of them are hurt… oh, please let everyone be okay._

He wasn’t sure he would be able to bear it if him leaving for just under a half hour had resulted in someone within his group being harmed. Dropping underneath the main ridge of the cliffside, the scene opened up to him.

There were Katara, Zuko, Mai, Toph, Suki, Ty Lee, Sokka and Haru, all engaged in furious combat with a seemingly unending horde of Fire Nation soldiers. While almost all of them seemed to be holding their own, the sheer magnitude of the force coming at them was more than a little worrying. As Aang watched, one man, likely the leader of the whole bunch at something like eight feet tall and clad in armor, drew back his warhammer and slammed it into the ground near Toph who was doing all she could to slow his approach. She was flung backwards and hit the ground in a roll before coming out of it on her feet and immediately resuming her attack. The general seemed to simply shrug off the boulders that came his way rather like they were mild annoyances; attacks that Aang had regularly seen Toph blow aside enemies with hardly seemed to faze him. Ty Lee rushed up to cover Toph, unleashing a flurry of blows towards chinks in the giant man’s armor, but with a roar, he threw her aside as well.

Having seen enough, Aang flew in above the carnage, releasing himself from his glider upside down and whipped up a great current of air. A quick look around told him what he needed to know and he let the current rush from him, traveling through all corners of the battle.

As Aang saw it, Zuko, Toph, Katara would have a great deal of trouble trying to precisely land bending attacks on Fire Nation soldiers and not hit one another when they were so entirely surrounded on all sides. Seeking to correct that, Aang pulled hard on his grip of the air and every Fire Nation soldier save for the monstrous one in the back was tossed into the air. Aang touched down and, praying that his friends weren’t too caught up in seeing him to heed his words, shouted at them.

“Now!!”

At once, he, Zuko, Toph and Katara pulled together a great storm of elements into the air above them, air and water flinging the soldiers about, smashing them into one another and the fire and earth that Zuko and Toph wove into the spread of chaos. After only a couple seconds, when Aang’s initial current ended, not a single soldier moved after they fell back to the floor. All of the sudden, the only one who remained was the massive armored man.

Haru, who had been the only bender indeed too caught up to react to Aang’s sudden entrance, turned to him with a huge grin.

“Aang, that was great! How did you—?”

He didn’t get further than this as Katara pulled some of her remaining water to strike Haru in the back, flinging him towards the rest of the group and out of the reach of the massive remaining man whom Haru had turned his back to in order to congratulate Aang. Just as Haru was swept forward, the giant soldier’s warhammer impacted where he had been standing, blowing open the floor into a crater. As Haru came to rest and looked behind him, he seemed to realize how close to death he had just been and his eyes widened, his breathing coming in shallowly. Her hair flowing around her face as it shone with anger, Katara glared at him.

“Get behind us.”

Without a word, he did so, almost as sheepishly as a reprimanded dog might. The group closed up in a tight line, and Aang took stock of his companions. Other than some superficial burns to their clothes, they all looked to be all right and Aang briefly marveled that alongside himself, Katara, Toph and Sokka, were Ty Lee, Mai and Zuko. It was very surreal, but at the intense looks on their faces, he put aside this stunning curiosity and turned back forward.

The man before them pulled back his warhammer and dropped it mightily on his shoulder. Aang’s stomach twisted as he imagined what it might have done if Katara hadn’t quickly saved Haru.

“Who are you?!” he called out to the giant, hoping his voice sounded more confident than he felt; even just looking at this man was enough to bring a chill creeping down his spine.

With a hearty laugh that seemed to make the very ground rumble, the man looked at Aang and behind the ceremonial armored mask, Aang could see his eyes twinkle almost lightheartedly. Mai spoke up to his left, her voice low and controlled.

“This is General Ako. Fought on the front lines against Earth Nation battalions as one of the few nonbenders the Fire Lord employed.”

Sokka shifted his weight nervously. “I can see why not being able to bend isn’t exactly a big deal with this guy.”

General Ako blew a long breath out his nose and looked over them one by one. When he spoke his voice was that of an earthquake, rumbling and overpowering and as deep as any sound could be. “I see one of you knows who I am. Another weak-minded traitor, based on your noble Fire Nation attire?”

He pointed at Mai with his hammer, the head of which Aang realized was the size of one of Appa’s feet.

 _I hope he’s staying safe,_ Aang thought hopefully, knowing that Appa and Momo had orders to fly and disperse if they were attacked, but still worried they might have been spotted and pursued as well.

Zuko stepped up protectively beside Mai. “Don’t you dare address her like that!”

Hardly missing a beat, Ako turned to look at him. “Ah, yes and the prodigal son of unending failure. You do your nation ill, boy, it strikes you as fortunate that I have come here with no particular orders regarding you.”

Finally hitting the crux of the situation, Aang spoke up before any more unpleasantries could be exchanged.

“Then why are you here?”

Stomping her foot angrily, Toph sent a small tremor rolling out over the entire plateau as she snapped, “No matter how many goons you Fire Nation send at us, you’re never taking Aang!”

The rise in his cheeks told Aang that behind his mask, Ako was smiling.

“I apologize for the misunderstanding, little lady, but I am not here for the Avatar and I rather had hoped to avoid this level of conflict. It is my understanding, Ozai has suspended his orders on enforcing a search for the Avatar; I believe he no longer sees you as a real issue.”

Surprised that such a thing would worm its way into his conscience, Aang realized that hearing that almost hurt him just before frustration began to spill out over it.

_Doesn’t think I’m a threat, does he?_

Ako continued, “He has more pressing enemies to deal with and regardless of them, or you, I’m here on another matter entirely.”

He raised his warhammer again and pointed it up, just behind them.

“I’m here for her.”

Careful not to take his eyes off the general for longer than just a moment, Aang cautiously looked behind him and felt his heart stop as he saw who Ako had been referring to. Standing up the stairs behind them about a dozen yards, was Azula.

She looked every bit the striking figure she usually was; Katara’s care had left her nearly entirely unblemished and it would have been impossible to guess that she had only recently been on the violent end of a severe beating. Her expression was unreadable, but she remained standing stalwart atop the stairs, looking to General Ako without a glance towards the others, her hair being gently tossed behind her by the evening breeze.

Ty Lee spoke first, “Azula, what are you doing here?!”

The princess maintained her incredibly apathetic expression, as though this was all simply of too little note to warrant any emotion.

“I heard quite the commotion while I was trying to rest and now I see the cause. It’s been a while, general.”

Ako bowed. “Your highness.”

As he looked up, he planted the end of his hammer in the ground, “I am relieved to see you safe and unharmed. Upon your capture by these terrorists and traitors, your father was heavily distraught. He sent me and this attack group to find you and retrieve you safely. Following potential airship trails, we finally happened upon this place.”

He gestured with an enormous hand.

“Come. Your father will be relieved to know you are safe.”

For a long while, Azula simply regarded the general and Aang waited for her to march down the stairs and push past them. To be taken back to her father and killed no doubt, and part of him wished Sasuke hadn’t beaten her so soundly, or even at all. What had the defeat done to her? He realized as he looked on that there was no viable tell of her emotion, and he was sure her mind had to be racing with thoughts on the Agni Kai. Had her loss been enough to defeat her mentally? Was she now willing to entirely accept her own death having suffered this failure? Would it be enough to—

“I apologize, general, but you’ve been misled in taking my father at his word.”

Aang’s mental train broke and he stared up at Azula, eyes wide and barely able to believe what he was hearing. Azula’s face was still formed in a perpetual half-scowl but she crossed her arms now, not moving forward in the slightest.

“My father and I have had a bit of a falling out. A frank exchange of disagreements has led us to no longer be willing to cooperate, and he wishes me dead. If I return with you to the capital, he will kill me himself behind closed doors.”

She left this as her final word on the situation and Aang looked back to the general, waiting for a reaction. Ako was motionless, an eight foot statue clad in armor for the longest time before he sighed.

“I see. You’ve gone the way of your brother have you?”

Azula sniffed. “Please. I will deal with this betrayal my own way, properly. Don’t lump me in with that sniveling coward.”

Zuko didn’t seem to take offense at this, though Mai did bristle at the insult. Azula didn’t even regard her brother as she kept her gaze locked on the general.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to return empty handed, General Ako, I will not be coming back to the capital.”

Fire erupted around her arms and she pointed at him, the threat clear in the glow of her eyes.

“And I suggest you leave, now.”

The finality of her tone echoed over the whole plateau with a heavy resonance. Ako paused for a great deal longer before nodding, his great armored head slowly raising and lowering as he took this in.

“I see,” he repeated.

He reached into his armor and pulled out what looked like two thin, clay jars.

“I will be honest, your highness. I had my doubts on the trip here, that you were indeed a prison of the resistance. How could you, the strongest of all firebenders save for the Fire Lord himself, be captured by such a band of untrained, undisciplined children?”

Propping the handle of his hammer against his shoulder, he took one of the jars in each hand.

“This confirms my suspicion. It pains me terribly to hear this; your father must be suffering greatly at this betrayal.”

He raised his hands above his head, each of them tightly clutching their respective clay containers.

“But my orders are clear and my loyalty is absolute.”

Bringing his arms down with sudden speed, the jars flew from his hands and smashed on the ground near Aang’s feet. There was an eruption of something that appeared to be a fine mist of some kind, a mist that rushed all around them as though thrilled to be freed, swirling about the upper layer of the temple. Aang found himself surprised that so much had been compressed and contained in such little containers and he held his breath, expecting it to be a poison or drug of some kind.

“Fear not, it will not harm you.”

Aang looked and saw that the mist was also swirling around Ako and the general was making no attempt to not breathe in the fumes as he spoke. Cautiously, Aang looked around and saw varying levels of concern; everyone had a hand over their mouth and nose and was looking back at him almost expectantly as though to follow his lead. Slowly, he took his hand away from his mouth and the others followed suit. There was no smell in the air as the mist started to fade away as it dissipated, and if Aang had closed his eyes he would have never guessed the air had been polluted with some mystery substance.

For a long moment, the only thing passing amongst them was quiet as Aang waited on pins and needles for something to happen and was further put on edge as nothing did; General Ako remained where he stood, unmoving and looming. But as Aang opened his mouth to inquire as to the nature of the mist, Azula growled behind him.

“Bastard.”

As Aang turned to face her, he saw her scowl had deepened. Ako laughed again, another rumbling sound that tore across the floor. “Dear princess, I daresay you may be the only one here to have caught on to what this was! Care to share?”

Swallowing slowly, Azula continued to glare at him as she addressed the others. “He just blocked our abilities to bend.”

Her words sent a chilling numbness through Aang's body and he immediately thrust out with his palm, attempting to hurl a sphere of air, the simplest trick in the world for him. But nothing came, not even the smallest puff of air. Frantically, he tried again and saw the other benders in his number attempt the same, but no earth was raised, no water swept up, no fire burning to life. General Ako put his now free hands to his hammer and hoisted it.

“An experimental toxin developed by Ozai's top engineers. As we remain outnumbered in the war itself, our bending has become our strongest weapon, so the creation of such a weapon was thought highly impractical. And on top of that, the time and resources necessary to craft even just those two capsules I just shattered is immense. But in certain instances, it has very niche use. Such as infiltrating an earthbending encampment with a small squad.”

He took a step forward and the very temple floor seemed to quake.

“Or removing any dangerous potential from a group of uppity children.”

And as he took another powerful stride forward and Aang dug as deep as he ever had in an attempt to force his bending back to life, he found it was helpless. General Ako towered imposingly above them and he realize the general was right; without their bending, there was nothing they could do. They truly were children, hopeless to stop this giant's advance.

“Sokka, this is going to have to come down to you.”

Mai's quieted voice broke him from his forlorn mindset and he looked to her. Her eyes were intense and calculating as she spoke in a tone not quite loud enough for Ako to hear as he trudged slowly closer. All gazes turned to her and Katara cocked her head. “What are you talking about?”

Seeming to ignore her, Mai looked at Sokka unblinkingly.

“If you can get him to swing that hammer, I think I can get a knife in his arm. From there, Suki and Ty Lee can acrobatics their way up to his head once I take away his ability so swing that hammer.”

Both the young women in question nodded unflinchingly and all eyes turned to a very shocked looking Sokka who, after a moment, drew himself up with a classically pretentious sniff. “I can see my expertise truly will be the most necessary part of all this.”

“Sokka!” Katara snapped, hitting him on the arm. His joking look faded and he drew up his sword I’m a readied stance.

“I got it.”

Everyone turned then to look General Ako down. Having not heard them, he shook his head as he drew within twenty feet. “Whatever plan you’ve just tried to concoct, I’d trash it. The only way any of you walk away alive is if your step aside and hand over Princess Azula.”

Taking a step forward, Sokka pointed with his sword, “Yeah, I’ll take the second option if you don't mind!”

General Ako inclined his massive armored head. “That being?”

Drawing himself up, Sokka assumed a readied stance about to break into a charge. “Taking this sword and jamming it up your—”

Whatever his juvenile threat had been was cut short by a harrowing cry from behind them. Aang nearly hit the ground as Haru came barreling past him, screaming at the top of his lungs with a terrified expression on his face and a Fire Nation spear he had collected from a body raised.

“Haru, no!!” Katara screamed but he had no regard for her words, and continued to sprint at Ako. The general seemed to hardly regard him before pulling his arm back. Aang's heart leapt into his throat as he watched how quickly the general was able to swing his hammer. Before Haru was even within striking distance with the spear which would likely have bounced harmlessly off the giant man's armor, he was flung across the room by the hammer's strike. Aang listened to Katara, Ty Lee and Suki all cry out as his body smashed into the wall and dropped a dozen feet to the floor to lie motionless. He found he could only stare at Haru's broken form.

_We can't win this._

“You'll pay for that, Ako!!”

Sokka's furious shout was annunciated by him breaking into a run of his own, but he made it only a couple paces before another voice behind him shouted out.

“STOP!!”

For the second time in recent memory, Aang found himself shoved aside as Azula came storming past him. She reached Sokka and shoved him roughly aside and looked up to the general. Her expression was painfully rigid.

“If I leave with you, you'll leave them alone?”

Her voice was quiet as though she were embarrassed to even be saying such a thing. Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee all raised voices of protest, but ignoring them, Ako stared down at her, before lifting his hammer to hold over his shoulder.

“You have my word.”

There was a pause as he looked over and past her as though considering something. With sudden swiftness, the same hammer that had just all but shattered Haru came up and above the monster’s head.

“Just as soon as I teach this arrogant brat a lesson in respect.”

It became clear to Aang that where Sokka had been pushed was well within range of Ako’s hammer and he felt his breathing catch in his throat. Shouting out the same warning that was echoed all around him, but knowing it wouldn’t make an ounce of difference, he stared pathetically as the hammer drew back to turn his friend into a bloody mess. Sokka hadn’t even reacted; he stood still, starting stupidly ahead, his sword pointed uselessly at the ground as the massive end of the hammer came back and swung down.

It only passed just above Ako’s head before stopping as abruptly as a fly being swatted.

Aang stared, wondering if he had suffered some kind of mental health attack. To him, it looked like the general had frozen in time, hammer half-swung down towards Sokka, looking off above him. All of his bending knowledge was completely useless, and he wondered if this was some kind of insane chance he had been granted to make a difference, but as Toph whispered quietly beside him, he realized this was only something that Ako had been struck by.

“What happened?”

Katara shook her head, her beautifully fierce eyes still locked on the general. “I don’t know… but don’t let your guard down. This could be some kind of—”

She was cut off as the general’s hammer fell from his hands to fall over his back and hit the ground with a heavy boom. Moments later, Ako dropped to his knees with a crash of his armor and weight striking the floor. His hands moved to his head and he began to heave with deep, shaking breaths. His voice slid out of his mask with a deep, sinister hissing; he sounded very suddenly agonized.

“Please, Fire Lord… I have done nothing wrong!! Do not punish them because of this!!”

He sounded almost half-asleep and half-drunk as he pleaded with a nonexistent third party. Aang could only stare as he watched the previously insurmountable threat completely dissolve before them. Suki, Mai and Ty Lee all looked ready to spring towards him, but the suspicion that this could still be a trick of some kind kept them still. Azula stood motionless before the general with Sokka just to her left, also unmoving and staring blankly.

Finally, Zuko spoke up for all of them. “Why did that… why did that just happen?”

“Because I deemed it to.”

The voice was unmistakable and Aang didn’t even need to turn, but he did anyway.

Sasuke stood at the stop of the stairs leading down into the open room, just where Azula had been moments before. He had recovered his clothes from where they had been left above, his sword reattached at the back of his waist and loose upper garments blowing in the breeze. He looked as intimidating as he ever had and Aang realized that his dark eyes had rolled over with a scarlet glow, a fierce pattern glaring out towards at the general.

No one said a word as he stepped slowly down the stairs to approach the general, and Aang really saw how terrifying his eyes were close up. He pushed through the line of them and Aang was able to see that Mai looked like she wanted to lash out at him with a knife then and there and Ty Lee was looking uncharacteristically murderous. Of them all though, Katara looked the most frightening as Aang saw her cold expression regard Sasuke as he passed with something that could only pass for animosity. It was a look Aang had never wanted to see on her face and he felt that Suki’s distantly concerned expression was probably a close match to his own.

Sokka had turned as well, though his expression was more defeated than anything and Aang could tell he was mentally berating himself for putting himself at such obvious risk, Sasuke’s return be damned. The only person who had revealed absolutely no reaction was Azula who still had her back turned to them all, but she seemed somehow even more motionless than before.

Sasuke paced towards the general, not looking at single one of them before stopping shoulder to shoulder with Azula. Aang held his breath, not sure at all what to do or what to think; he was nearly expecting Azula to reach out to and grab him by the throat, but she remained still. Not acknowledging her himself, Sasuke drew his sword and jabbed it into the general’s armor.

“Collect yourself, old man. There’s no Fire Lord here.”

At his voice, Ako’s breathing erupted as though he had just been woken from a nightmare. He remained on his knees, but looked around in something like a panic. It was hard to tell his expression with the mask on, but it was clear he had been very disturbed by what he had seen. After a moment, he looked up to Sasuke and snarled out angrily.

“You. I was warned about you.”

He struggled a moment, but seemed to find he couldn’t stand. “The Fire Lord warned to be on the lookout for a boy with extraordinary and unique talent, claimed you were the most dangerous threat to the whole of the nation.”

Aang felt another distant pang of almost unnoticeable envy before catching himself. How could he be jealous of Sasuke of all people?

Sasuke leaned down.

“He’s right. He should be looking over his shoulder every time he feels alone. I’ll be going on the hunt soon, and he’s going to need to play it very safe.”

He straightened and reached out a hand. Blue electricity crackled around his palm and the general was thrown backwards with a great thunderclap. As he tried to pick himself up, his armor sparking and burning, Sasuke paced further towards him.

“But as it happens, I’m not coming for him yet. For now, I will have you deliver a message for me.”

He sheathed his sword and paced a distance away from the general, looking out towards what were likely a handful of mostly unmanned airships, their previous occupants and wards strewn about pathetically as he stepped over them.

“Fly back to your master. Tell the Fire Lord his daughter is no longer his to do what he pleases with.”

Ako pushed himself up with surprising swiftness and rushed for his hammer. Almost nonchalantly, Sasuke blasted the weapon off the plateau and into space with another spear of lightning that forked contemptuously from his hand. Ako stared after it and then, not one to give up, rushed Sasuke barehanded. In a single image, it looked rather ridiculous. Ako was ten times Sasuke’s size and clad in full armor; it shouldn’t have even been a contest, and in a way, it wasn’t. Just not in the direction one might have expected. Aang watched as Sasuke seemed to slip beneath the general’s grip like water and use the man’s back as a jumping board. As Ako reached deftly behind him with an angry shout to try and pluck Sasuke from him, the black-haired boy leapt to the ceiling, fingers outstretched. As though it had been tailor made for his purposes and carved out just for him, he tore free a piece of the ceiling the size of Appa and dropped it with a thunderous smash down over the general’s head.

The sheer force of the blow sent a gust rushing out and Aang put his arm up to keep the dust from his eyes. As he regained focus, he saw that Azula and Sokka had both been able to get free from the danger zone. Ako was not so fortunate, lying among pieces of the shattered stone ceiling, dazed and barely moving. Sasuke touched down then next to him as lightly as a feather and the general growled out weakly.

“…How? The mist… should have debilitated you… just like… the others.”

Seeming to suddenly reach a point of anger, Sasuke grabbed one of the ceremonial horns on the general’s helmet and wrenched it up, forcing Ako to meet his eyes as he snapped angrily. “I’m not like the others!! Ozai is right to fear me and he will come to do more than that. When you see him, tell him he is not safe while I walk this earth. He will never have a day of peace until the final moment when I plant my sword in his chest!”

He stared furiously into the general’s eyes as though waiting for some affirmative. After a moment, the general did speak. Though it was hardly the response anyone could have imagined.

“Now!!”

Sensing something, Aang spun to look up towards the temple’s pillars. Off near where Sasuke had pulled some of the roof free, two archers were grappled to the tops of the pillars, bows drawn and poised. Aang heard himself shout the warning, but Sasuke wasn’t ready. He was intently focused on the general and had only slightly begun to look around at Ako’s shouted command. He would never be able to get out of the way in time.

Or, at least he might not have, if Azula hadn’t stepped between him and the readied archers.

Aang took a useless step forward as he waited for the bows to release and for arrows to shoot down towards Azula and Sasuke, but neither archer released his weapon’s payload. From where he lay half-buried, Ako looked back and forth between his two remaining soldiers and Sasuke and Azula frantically several times before shouting.

“What are you two doing?! Shoot them!!”

Rather than heed his repeated command, the two archers slid nimbly down the pillars and slung their bows over their shoulders. The taller of the two spoke, face entirely hidden behind his mask. “We cannot risk harming the Fire Lord’s daughter. Our orders were clear, and we have failed. We cannot win this, general.”

Shifting aside a fair bit of the rubble, Ako continued pushing his way out from the partially collapsed ceiling. “She’s a traitor! Orders be damned!”

The archer shook his head. “I’m sorry, general. It would do us well now to leave while we can.”

Sasuke nodded. “It would.”

Finally breaking free from his confinements, the general exploded to his feet, looking every bit ready to forge his way onward. His previously calm demeanor had been lost amongst his rage.

“Then you both are traitors as well! I’ll deal with you both after—”

Azula’s voice, though far lower in volume, cut through the bellowing of Ako with all the ease of a raindrop soaking into dirt.

“Consider your next move carefully, Ako. If you damage the ‘prize’ of your master, he might reflect on your performance… unfavorably.”

Aang could tell she was deriving great pleasure from sinking her teeth into the veiled threat and the inner struggle that the general seemed to go through then was almost palpable. When he took what must have been a few seconds too long, Sasuke tilted his head to the left and right, popping his neck.

“Let me make this easier for you, general. You can leave… “

Fire, as pitch black as the night itself, perforated to life in a half-circled cage around the massive armored man, crackling with a heat that Aang could feel even from his distance a dozen meters away. The two Fire Nation archers drew back in mirroring movements of Sokka and Azula, but Sasuke stayed just there, staring intensely through the ethereal bars of his unorthodox prison.

“…or I will burn you into nothing. It matters not that you are a nonbender, this is fire that cannot be dispelled but by means of my own knowing. And if I choose not to dispel them, they will burn hotter; your armor will being to melt and fuse with your flesh until it all burns away, leaving a charred body in its wake. A simply sweep of my hand then will cast your remains into ashes, blown into the forgotten winds of yesterday.”

His argument seemed convincing enough to Aang and it seemed as though Ako agreed.

“Fine,” he growled, “I will depart.”

Sasuke looked at him for several long seconds before he turned his gaze towards the half dozen airships floating just beyond the temple grounds. The black fire withdrew from surrounding the general to streak into all but one of them, bursting them and sending them tumbling from the sky into the ravine, the screams of the few soldiers aboard mingling for a moment before fading away. Ako stared at the open air where his ships had only recently floated and Sasuke turned away from him; Aang could see what looked like tears of blood flowing down his cheeks.

“I assume one ship will do fine.”

Not another word was uttered by Ako or the two assassins and quietly, they moved to the ladder let down by their ship on the general’s word and moments later, the ship was gone in the night wind. Silence fell on the open space with dozens of bodies lying about and fires still burning. He blew out a gust of wind to clear some of the smoke that was large enough for him to realize the toxin must have been wearing off. As the smoke swept away, it gave him a good look at the violence that rested around him and he grimaced. The carnage made Aang’s stomach turn but his queasiness swiftly left him in favor of anxiousness as Katara pointed sharply at Sasuke.

She had moved over to Haru to work some brief healing on him and her reaction told Aang that his wounds had been nothing she couldn’t handle, though he remained unconscious on the ground. As Sokka lifted him carefully, her words resounded harshly around the room.

“You. A word, please.”

And without any sort of follow up to this demand, she stormed up the stairs her hair billowing around her shoulders. Aang tried to catch her eyes, but she looked resolutely past them all before rounding a corner at the top her ascension and disappearing from sight. Aang looked back at the rest of them and realized that all attention was on Sasuke.

Suki and Sokka’s expressions were the most neutral; the both of them looked more sad than anything. Toph looked like she was trying very hard not to break down and start yelling, an expression mirrored somewhat on Zuko’s face, though he was looking towards his sister just as much as Sasuke. Mai and Ty Lee looked ready to spring towards him and do everything in their power to utterly wreak havoc on him, but Azula was the most worrying to Aang. Only a couple meters apart from Sasuke, she was looking off into the black of the night, her expression unknowable to Aang, but he could see her fists clenched tightly at her side, shaking violently.

Sasuke didn’t seem to acknowledge a single one of them until he looked to Aang, who spoke softly.

“I’d do as she says. She can get pretty scary when people don’t listen to her.”

He looked up to see Sasuke looked at him. They looked at each other in silence for a moment before Sasuke wiped an arm across his face, wiping the bloody tracks away. Without a reply, he returned back from where he had come down, heading for the stairs. Mai stood between him and progressing, and for a second, Aang was sure she wasn’t going to move as Sasuke stopped in front of her and their eyes met, both looking fierce. Then, she bit her lower lip and stood aside for him and he pushed past without a word.

Aang watched him take the same turn, realizing that despite all of the power Sasuke clearly wielded, he was much more scared for him then he was for Katara.

* * *

Sasuke wasn’t surprised.

He had known from their first encounter that Katara’s feelings toward him were nothing short of disdainful at best. A one on one now was something that gave him the slightest feeling of dread as at a surface level, there was something very distantly frightening about Katara’s persona; nevertheless, he followed after her into a room a good distance away from the carnage they had left behind.

Her back was to him as he stepped inside and Sasuke stopped a respectable distance away, waiting for her to initiate whatever it is she wanted to talk about. It took her a long several seconds to reach that point.

“You came back.”

It was said as though it were an accusation and Sasuke had no genuine sort of reply other than confirming her words, “I did.”

She turned to face him, brow furrowed and expression angry. Sasuke reflected obscurely that she was really quite beautiful.

“May I ask why? It probably came as no surprise that we were all quite happy to be rid of you.”

He must have waited just a second too long to reply, as a moment of dawning comprehension flitted across her face. “You talked to Aang, didn’t you.”

Seeing no reason to lie, he nodded. “He found me a distance away from the cliffside and we spoke briefly.”

Katara looked back the way they had come, growling angrily. “That _idiot_ , I told him not to—”

Sasuke found himself interrupting her loudly. “I think he’s more than capable to making decisions for himself, something none of you seem too interested in allowing.”

His inflammatory remark did not go unnoticed, and her expression darkened even more than it already was.

“You are in _no_ position to judge him or any of us. We’re doing what has to be done for the good of all four nations and your constant interference is more damaging than you know.”

“Because I’m allowing him to think for himself?”

She approached him then as she had before, coming very close to being face to face, her expression glowering fiercely.

“Because you’re nothing short of a bad influence! He’s a kid, and you’re… whatever you are!”

Sasuke crossed his arms. He was just about fed up with her condescending attitude towards not just him, but towards one of the only two people in the group who seemed willing to give him the time of day.

“Maybe he is a kid, but you can’t be more than a few years older than him yourself. You act like you have this all-powerful reasoning that supersedes anyone else, but as far as I can tell, you’re just being excessively controlling.”

She looked like she was about to shout at him, before she inhaled deeply and collected herself. Still, when she spoke, her voice was laced with fury.

“We have been all across the four nations, and have nearly come undone more than once. We’ve seen terrible things and have had our fair share of arguments and fights. My ‘controlling’ as you put it has kept us together, Sokka’s leadership too. This is the way that it’s worked and it’s the way it will continue to work.”

Sasuke regarded her flatly. “Proven track records don’t infer the best methods.”

Her voice became a hiss. “They do here!”

“So, you’re trying to get rid of me because I’m throwing a wrench in this whole system?”

She jabbed him in the chest with a finger. “You don’t even see what you’re doing, do you?! In all our run-ins, I’ve never seen Ty Lee and Mai look more hateful of someone then when I see them looking at you! No one has ever put Toph so out of sorts before, its like she’s crushing on you and terrified of you at the same time! And Azula… “

She swallowed audibly.

“Never in all the time I’ve known her have I ever seen someone affect her to the point of turning her practically into a different person. You make her furious, but she barely talks when you’re around. She seems to hate you, but she challenged you to a round of combat instead of trying to stab you in the back. Then, after you completely and utterly dismantle her in your match, she goes and _protects_ you just moments ago! I don’t know what you’re doing to her, or anybody else for that matter, but it’s… it’s just not something we have time to deal with.”

Katara turned away from him, clearly trying to rationalize something in her own head and he watched her pace almost frantically about the room.

“Is that truly the reason you hate me?” he asked shortly. “Because I’m something you didn’t plan for?”

She came to a halt in her walking with her back to him. Her voice was surprisingly gentle.

“I… I don’t hate you.”

Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, Sasuke leaned against the wall. “You’ll forgive me if I have trouble believing that.”

When she looked back to him though, he could see there was more behind her eyes then loathing, and in a moment, he felt almost sympathetic towards her plight. She looked weary, worn-down, utterly exhausted by her journeys and the burdens she had acquired during it.

“Sasuke…“she muttered, almost tenderly. “Why did you have to come along?”

He found himself regretting instigating her. She was no older than him and he had seen fit to berate her over something he still didn’t understand.

_You people have had your own hardships and I have had mine. Maybe we can’t get along, but I suppose I can still leave in peace._

Before he could bring up his hopeful departure, she asked him, her bitterness returning. “Why _did_ you come back after the Agni Kai?”

He thought back to the conversation he had experienced with Aang and had to keep from smiling. “Something Aang told me. Told me to listen to my heart, and it told me to come back.”

She looked at him dubiously and Sasuke could tell she might not believe that, and he couldn’t blame her. Instead of pressing it though, she crossed her arms and looked away from him.

“I suppose I should thank you for showing up when you did. If I needed proof that what you do is beyond bending, I suppose I have it.”

Sasuke shook his head. “No one owes me anything. I came back because I wanted to apologize myself.”

Katara stared at him. “For what?”

He spoke before he changed his mind.

“I’m still going after Ozai. He destroyed my people, I heard him in a memory. I’m going to find him, I’m going to make him tell me why, and then I’m going to kill him.”

He waited expectantly for her to explode at him over this, but was surprised as she did nothing more than close her eyes for a long moment.

“You’re sure about this, are you?”

Looking at her and waiting for her to meet his eyes, he replied, “Certainty is not something I find myself graced with these days, so believe me when I say I am sure.”

She did nothing more than give a long sigh and he raised a hand in her direction.

“And before you even think about trying to talk me out of—”

Katara snapped her head to look at him in something almost like disgust. “I’m not going to talk you out of it.”

She turned away and gave him her bombshell.

“But I am coming with you.”


	9. Chapter 9

** Chapter 9: Scars **

“I don’t see that we have a choice. For all of us, moving along has to be our best option.”

Holed up within the temple, Sasuke leaned against the wall a slight distance from the rest of the group, arms crossed and listening closely. His impatience had been boiling over the past hour, but every time he happened to look Katara’s way and they met eyes, he would bite down whatever annoyed remark he had been thinking to make.

Haru was the only one who had been removed from the proceedings and his unconscious body had been moved in just to the room over to be watched over by those who had had been hidden away from the battle. The rest of the group was circled around a small fire of Zuko’s creation, deciding the next best course of action.

“How much time would you guess we have?” Sokka seemed to direct this question towards Zuko, whose knowledge of Fire Nation militaristic protocol surely advanced beyond his own. Azula, however, was the one to answer. Her voice was cold and removed, but she still spoke with perfect clarity as she stared into the orange flame before her.

“Hours, at this point. Any aerial strike team like that would have a home group situated between their main port and their area of attack. Ako will be able to signal them quickly for reinforcements or drum up a different sort of plan of action, and regardless, they’ll be back here soon.”

Sokka looked to Zuko who shrugged and nodded. Suki raised the next most obvious concern.

“Where do we go? The peninsulas to our east and west are Fire Nation strongholds, north is pure ocean and south takes us directly towards the capital.”

 _Sounds fine to me,_ Sasuke thought inwardly. He had only been half listening during the previous conversations but was now fully in tune with this one. He needed determining on the best course of action moving forward and this had been occupying his mind readily. Something that Katara had said had stuck with him like a virus that ate away at the certainty he had only recently been so sure of.

_“What if Ozai isn’t responsible?”_

It should have been easy to shrug off; Sasuke had _heard_ the Fire Lord admit to it. No, particulars hadn’t been used, but it was all too easy to infer what he had been implying. And Sasuke had every intention of wringing out all the information he could from Ozai anyway.

_“You really can’t leave that alone, can you? Well, the truth then: I don’t know a thing about you, boy.”_

Sasuke clenched his fists as they remained crossed over and under his arms.

_Liar._

“Sasuke?”

He realized his name had been said twice now, and looked over to see Sokka addressing him now, and the gazes of all of them looking his way with varying stages of emotion. He ran his tongue over the front of his teeth. “Sorry?”

“I was just asking what you thought. We all know what you’re going after, and we… just wanted to know your opinion.”

Sasuke almost laughed coldly. These people cared about what he thought? After Katara’s dressing down, he had expected that to be mostly the end of any interaction he was going to be permitted to have, at least verbally But he could tell it wasn’t a joke as the group looked towards him expectantly. He replied as he met Azula’s gaze and she looked away intently.

“I’m going after Ozai, you all know this. Though I can say, if what the princess says is true, then moving on is probably the best option for all of us.”

He saw Azula’s face pull back in a slight grimace as her referred to her by her royal status. Leaning over the map that rested on a slab of rock beside the fire. “This might be a good spot.”

She pointed to a small group of islands to the east of the Fire Nation capital. “There are a great deal of beaches here for tourists and vacationers. Festivals are held there year round and just about any family with the necessary funds for it has a summer home.”

Zuko looked to her, unconvinced. “That includes us. If our father has men looking for us, won’t they think to look there?”

Mai shook her head and dragged her finger along the islands’ coasts. “It’s a lot of ground and the actual housing property is all over the place. When you go far enough, the beaches lose their population and you find old abandoned constructions projects and even old Fire Nation temples along the way. Chances are, we could hole up in one of those.”

She looked up to Sasuke, gaze still perpetually repulsed as she addressed him.

“And it’ll put us a lot closer to the Fire Nation capital.”

Sasuke pulled himself away from the wall, deciding it was time to straighten some things out. But before he could even begin explaining why a trip to the beaches would be a waste of his time, Aang seemed to practically jump forward with what he wanted to say.

“And we don’t even know where Ozai will be, after everything that happened.”

He punched a surprised Zuko in the shoulder. “Didn’t you say that your dad probably will be away from the capital until whatever he’s planning is ready to begin?”

Looked confused at the sudden energy that Aang was exhibiting, Zuko nodded slowly. “Yes, after an attempt on the palace like that, he won’t stay put. He’ll be hiding out somewhere.”

Sasuke moved closer to the fire, crossing his arms again. “Then I’ll need to start looking.”

He was met with some uncomfortable glances that he shrugged off. Azula broke the awkward silence then, her voice still stiff and almost haughty, but her words gave him pause for thought.

“Our father’s chief advisor spends much of his time at these islands for the festivals and vacationing when he’s not at work in the capital.”

Zuko nodded. “That’s right! And since the Red Tree Festival started, what… one? Two days ago? There’s no way he won’t be there for at least the back half of it.”

Katara looked at him. “What is this festival?”

Ty Lee dropped down to sit next to Toph as she answered. “One of the summer’s largest celebrations. They bring in vendors, fireworks, plays, and people come from all over. It lasts a week, but the big days are the last three when the parades start going down the beach roads. If anyone was going to go to the festival for any part, it would probably be then.”

Zuko turned his attention back to Sasuke. “If you want to find the Fire Lord, Hachi is your man. Our father consults with him on everything.”

Sasuke considered this. On one hand, if this Hachi didn’t wind up at the islands to partake in the festivities, then he had wasted at least a few days’ time. But the truth of the matter was that he really had no better leads, and he just potentially been given exactly what he needed.

He finally spoke, addressing a question of his own. “This Hachi. What sort of man is he?”

Zuko looked back towards the fire, waving a hand absently and causing the flames to swirl and dance unnaturally.

“He was always nice to us kids. When I came back to the capital, I got to spend more time with him, and he seemed more… stressed then he had when we were kids. Like there was suddenly too much going on for him to handle. He’s still fiercely loyal to my dad though, and he’s very smart.”

He turned his eyes back to Sasuke inquisitively. “Why?”

Sasuke didn’t bother trying to hide the malice in his voice. “Just to try and gauge ahead of time how much I’m going to have to… coerce him into telling me your father’s whereabouts.”

He let this settle over the group and Toph raised her head from where it rested on her knees.

“So, you’re coming with us?”

The number of varying gazes that were directed his way gave Sasuke pause. There was still pure dislike from Ty Lee and Mai, still concern and suspicion from Suki and Sokka, still gloominess from Aang and Toph, and still that almost confusing interest that Zuko regarded him with. But he looked past them all to look into Katara’s eyes; her eyes were not quite as hostile as they had been on previous occasions, but they now held an expectant glow. Rolling the options in his head, Sasuke finally pushed aside his impatience and nodded.

“For the time being.”

It was left at that.

Within the next hour, things moved quickly. Few words were exchanged that weren’t in direct regard to the situation at hand, packing and double-checking was paramount. Sokka did an impressive job relegating tasks, though Sasuke practically had to demand something to do for all the cold shoulders he was getting. He found himself alongside Hakoda and Chit Sang, prowling the temple grounds and making sure nothing was left behind that would give the returning Fire Nation soldiers any clues. He was surprised by what good company they made; he supposed that while they had been watching the less capable children in the camp, they had little to judge him with and they were both pleasant in his direction.

When Appa and the airship were both properly loaded up and ready, Aang took to the air to scout out the surrounding night sky and make sure their departure wasn’t going to be picked up on. As he did, Sokka ordered everyone aboard the two vastly different modes of transportation. Appa took the kids Sasuke hadn’t seen much of as well as the two adults alongside Sokka and Suki. Everyone else was put aboard the airship where there were in fact bunks in a rather cramped below-deck area. Sasuke opted for the one furthest from the rest; he had no interest in sparking some kind of argument that was based around something as stupid as his proximity to the rest of his companions.

Aang returned shortly thereafter and the engine of the airship roared to life and the two carriers took to the sky, with Aang on his glider and Momo leading the way. Sasuke moved to his bed quickly to avoid the rest of his bunkmates’ attention.

He was along for the ride, but it had long been since made clear to him that he wasn’t anyone’s friend.

* * *

It was still the darkest part of the night when Azula finally sat up on her less than comfortable bed, her sleeplessness finally getting the better of her. It wasn’t as though she wasn’t tired or didn’t think she could sleep. But as she turned her gaze around her to the other dozing forms of her companions, something about the whole situation just kept her fiercely from rest.

Pulling her loose nightshirt close to her, she stood up in the semidarkness of the main hold; the rumbling of the furnace made all of the noise she made entirely unnoticeable as she pulled open the main hatch and walked out onto the open deck. Sucking in a breath of cool night air, she walked to the front of the ship and leaned out over the railing. Nothing but darkness swam beneath her, the moon now mostly hidden behind a sheet of clouds that had rolled in since they had taken flight. She looked down and wondered what it would feel like to be falling through all that black.

Cursing quietly, she drilled her fingers into her temples, trying to keep her mind from raging incessantly.

_Why can’t I stop thinking about him?_

She hadn’t expected a thank you for coming between him and the pointed ends of several Fire Nation arrows, but his very existence remained a furiously contentious point in her head. He had saved her, he had fought her, and through all of that, he barely seemed to acknowledge her. She wasn’t used to that.

It was stupid to think so hard on the matter; he was just so caught up in his own goals that she barely factored in, that was all.

_Do I… want to factor in?_

Azula banished this question from her mind almost immediately. That was completely ridiculous, what did she care what this stupid boy thought of her? When had she ever cared what anyone had thought of her?

“Couldn’t sleep either?”

She straightened suddenly as she heard the voice and felt her breathing catch in her throat, barely trusting herself to turn around.

This was the _last_ thing she needed.

Sasuke was leaning against some rigging towards the aft of the ship and judging by his relaxed demeanor, had been there a while. Azula gently tilted her chin up and addressed him, doing her best to keep her voice cool and measured.

“I thought you were below.”

He nodded. “I was, for a bit. But I think I can wait till we reach wherever it is we’re going before I actually get some shut eye; that furnace’s noise was keeping me from it.”

She knew he was lying, but didn’t feel the need to press why he was actually above deck. It figured that it was probably due to a similar reason to her own departure from the cabin. There was no doubt that he had plenty on his mind as well.

After a moment, Azula realized he was watching her almost curiously. Swallowing, she looked over the side of the ship, not wanting to meet his gaze.

“I’m glad you’re up here actually.” His words sent a very odd tremor running down Azula’s spine and she looked at him, her hair tossing across her face as they slid through the sky.

“Oh?”

He lifted himself away from the rigging and approached her slowly. Azula was shocked that she didn’t shout at him to back away or attempt to burn a hole through his skull; she could only stare as he joined her leaning over the edge of the airship, nearly shoulder to shoulder.

“I wanted to ask how you knew about my brother.”

The hammering of her heart faded away almost instantly and she looked back out into the dark sky, wondering what it was that had gotten her so worked up in the first place.

“You think I know some big, dark secret about your past, do you?”

He gave no reply but the burning gaze she could feel piercing the side of her head told her all she needed to know. She rolled her own eyes before giving him what was sure to be an anticlimactic answer.

“When we escaped the palace, I held you for a while during the period you were unconscious.”

She felt him stiffen next to her and smirked. He should be so lucky.

“It’s something we learned at the academy when someone’s breathing is uneven, you hold them until they are able to be seen by medical personnel or until the breathing returns to normal. This way you can monitor their air intake and keep an eye on their heartrate and pulse.”

Azula ran a finger through her hair, relishing how good it felt to have it down.

“After you bombed the back of the palace, you were in a fitful state of sleep for about a half hour while I watched you. And during that period, you kept muttering about ‘killing your own brother’ and ‘how they were going to pay’.”

Sasuke almost seemed to deflate next to her and she turned her smirk in his direction. “Not exactly what you had hoped to hear I imagine.”

His face had turned to a scowl as he looked out over the railing. “Hardly.”

“Well, sometimes the answers we’re looking for aren’t quite so revealing,” she muttered. Silence fell between them for something near a minute before Azula brought a question that had been gnawing at her mind for hours now forward.

“Do you really think you can defeat my father?”

He gave an arrogant snort. “Please. I would have killed him before if I had been better appraised of the situation as a whole. Now, he has no chance to stop me.”

Clenching a fist, he looked down at it and she an expression cross his face that she had seen before in the mirror many times before. It was a look of someone truly power-hungry and who knew just how strong they were. Azula didn’t know if that was an expression she would ever make again after what had happened.

“I’m getting stronger. I can feel it all coming back to me, like someone’s slowly filling a glass of water. My memory is still bits and pieces, but my strength… that’s the only consistency I have going for me.”

She watched him carefully. “So, you’re saying you took it easy on me?”

In a move that surprised her, he didn’t reply and she could tell that he was trying to come up with the most diplomatic way to answer. She gave a short laugh. “Don’t waste your time, I’m not interested in manners.”

He grunted. “Well, then, yes.”

Azula nodded. “I had a feeling going into it that I was horribly outmatched.”

Sasuke stared at her. “Then why fight? Why do something as incredibly stupid as challenging me?”

“I’m not sure.” She was only half-lying. There were a great many factors that had informed her that challenging Sasuke was some kind of bright idea, her honor, her curiosity, her anger. But if she had to narrow it down to a single driving force, it would have been her hope that he would have just—

“There are easier ways to go out, you know.”

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise. Of course, he had somehow known, had somehow sensed what she was feeling.

“I can tell you’re still burning up inside with indecision and doubt. Just as you were earlier this evening when we fought.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Azula growled. She did not want to go into this right now, and certainly not with Sasuke of all people. He seemed to ignore her though, and pushed forward.

“Just jump then.”

Whirling to face him, she saw that he was still just as calm looking, staring out over the vast carpet of darkness. Her heart had started to pound again as he droned on. “If the only thing driving you before was some kind of obsessive desire to serve your father and your nation, then jump. You don’t need me to kill you. And I know all that crap you spouted about wanting to take your father’s place is nonsense.”

He turned to meet her eyes and she stared into his dark pits.

“You’re lost. Worse than lost, you don’t even want to consider the possibility of moving forward. You don’t know how to move on, and you sure as shit aren’t willing to try and mend past wounds.”

Raising a foot behind him, he tapped his toe on the floor. “You have a brother and two friends who still, after everything you’ve supposedly done, haven’t given up on you. Even before when the good general was ready to take you away, they still protested against it, even though fighting him would likely have gotten them killed.”

Somehow, his face darkened even further in the black of the night with the moon just barely coming through the clouds.

“You have something you don’t even know you have, something that other people would kill for. A chance at starting over, of mending these divides that have splintered you from then.”

She pushed away from the railing then and turned fully to face him, blue fire crackling around her wrists then, coating the entire upper deck in a ghostly blue light.

“You know nothing about me!”

Sasuke made no move to adjust himself, just stared at her. “I know _I’d_ kill just to even know if there was anyone alive who cared about me.”

The fire was doused from her hands and she took deep calming breaths as they looked at each other. Azula tried to drown out the oppressively constant voices that told her how much validity he was actually posing to her situation.

_This can’t be the way… it can’t be. How, after everything I’ve been through, can he just show up and do this to me?_

Seeming to grow tired of her staring, Sasuke looked back into the night. “Doesn’t matter, I suppose. If you could just look inward instead of projecting yourself outward, maybe then it might.”

Her mind buzzing with what he had said, Azula mechanically tried to change the subject; if she didn’t, she was worried, she might have another full-fledged breakdown.

“I’m surprised you came along. Even with what we know, I would have assumed it more like you to strike out on your own, find your own way.”

“I expect it would be,” he mused, rubbing his chin. “But let’s just say I had something of a change of heart.”

Remembering what had taken place before their swift evacuation, Azula pulled an oddity from her memory. “That’s right, you spoke with Katara privately.”

Gradually, she felt the terrible storm in her gut begin to settle as she fell into a more comfortable role of being the interrogator rather than the interrogated. Feeling an opportunity to press, she did so.

“Something she told you? Or perhaps you two are developing feelings for one another?”

With a start, she realized she very badly was apprehensive of how he might reply to this; he looked at her with a tired and inquiring look.

“In what universe do you expect that she would feel anything other than loathing for me?”

He looked back out and shook his head. “In any case, no, I chose to come along because this will get me the closest to Ozai the fastest. No other reason than that.”

An uncomfortable flash passed across his face and Azula realized he might be lying. Maybe there _was_ something going on between Katara and him, maybe in their private little meeting there had been more to it than words, maybe Katara, in all of her controlling, egotistical self, had gone and—

“You alright?”

At his question, her mental rambling trailed off and she looked back to meet his distantly concerned gaze. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”

That she probably did. Wishing that she could be anywhere other than standing alone with Sasuke, but also wishing it could stay that way for a while, Azula pushed as many of her emotions aside as she could. She leaned against the central burner, looking at the back of his head as he turned away again. She wanted desperately to get under his skin, to put him on edge just as he had done to her, but she was also scared as to what might happen if she did. There was no hiding from the fact that Sasuke was both dangerous and unpredictable, and doing anything to set him off would do no good other than stoke the fires of her own pride.

Instead, she chose to stand neat him in silence, pondering what little she did know.

_A brother… dead, by his own hand. I’ve almost killed Zuko a fair few times myself: would it really mess me up as badly as he is?_

For all his posturing and stoic attitude, it was clear that Sasuke was badly unstable. There was a storm behind his eyes every time she looked at him, clouds of fury and pain that never failed to send chills down her spine.

_He could kill me._

She had expected to die in the fields. There had come a point after she had actually managed to land a punch that she had realized she truly was utterly outmatched. The absolute terror that had ran through her veins as he struck her again and again had been almost intoxicating to the point of shutting off her senses from anything other than the pain and the fear. She had waited for her life to be burned away just as she had burned away the lives of so many others, but it had just been hit after hit. It was a feeling that had been previously unknown to her, to be so utterly vulnerable and helpless before another.

And still, after all the words she had thrown at him, the threats and the violence, he hadn’t killed her. She didn’t remember exactly how the fight had ended, and assumed that there had been some level of interference after she brought up Itachi and been knocked out. But she had come out of it alive and, thanks to Katara’s handiwork, was entirely alright.

“Tell me about Itachi.”

The words had left her mouth as a command even before she realized what she was saying. Azula stopped breathing as her words resounded over the breeze, unable to be taken back. She genuinely couldn’t recall having formed the question, let alone drawn up the gumption to ask it.

Sasuke half-turned back to her, a bitter look in his eyes and a bitter edge in his voice.

“Why? Looking for tips on how to commit fratricide?”

His suggestion caused Azula to stiffen and she overlooked how she had pulled the question out of nowhere and snapped back at him.

“No. I just was curious; he clearly was important to you.”

His reply came several long seconds later, a whisper in the breeze.

“You don’t know the half of it.”

Azula considered returning below deck to leave Sasuke with his thoughts, but all of the sudden, he started talking. “I don’t remember a lot of things, but what I do remember is him. He was a good brother since as early as I can remember. He did what he could to spend time with me, even when he was so entirely busy when we were younger.”

“He began spending time working towards becoming…” At this, Sasuke raised a hand and clenched his fist, as though reaching desperately for something he couldn’t recall. “He was going to become something, and it took much more of his time. I hardly saw any of him anymore.”

His hand came down and Sasuke bowed his head. “One night, I came home to find both my parents dead at his hand. He had killed them both and many more of our people.”

Azula could only stare. This had not been the route she had expected this story to take. In her head, she had imagined Itachi as some noble, upstanding individual, the kind that people like Aang and his friends would find most appealing.

“Itachi told me to run away and become strong, I wasn’t worth killing. If I could meet him at his level, then I guess I would have been worth his time.”

Sasuke turned and looked Azula in the eye and she saw his eyes glowing with a vibrant red that contained a black pattern. She took in a sharp intake of breath as she remembered seeing those same eyes in her vision that he had lain against her. They were the same eyes that had forced the titan form of General Ako to his knees and they stared out at her now, unblinking and overpowering.

“Select members of my people would be able to awaken these eyes at birth. They’re called Sharingan and are awakened by a deeply emotional event of varying sorts. My eyes were brought to life as I stared at my brother standing over the bodies of my parents.”

He turned away and Azula breathed out as though an immense weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“I spent years training in what we call jutsu, or bending as you people refer to it as. Though, they’re not the same, and I don’t… I don’t really understand the differences myself…”

Sasuke trailed off before returning to his story. “During all those years, I strived to become stronger for a single purpose: to kill my brother and take revenge for my people. The day finally came when I became strong as he told me to, and I faced him.”

The wind tossed his spiky black hair as his voice lowered.

“We fought, and I killed my brother.”

This confession held the space between them for a long while before he sighed and straightened, seeming to be relieved just to be passed admitting to it.

“Of course, it was only afterwards that I found out Itachi had only done the things he had done were to protect the honor of our people and to prevent war from breaking out. He was willing to throw down his life, become a hated man for all to remember, for… for…”

He snarled then and slammed his hand into the railing; it buckled at his strike and he glared down at it. “I don’t remember. I don’t remember why, what the war was, what the honor was for, why _any_ of it mattered.”

With finality in his tone, he turned to face her again. His Sharingan as he had called them were no longer visible, his eyes once again black pits as he glared at her menacingly.

“But what I ­ _do_ know is that I was able to pull a memory in which your father, in prayer, spoke of how he had forced my people to destruction. He and his cohorts manipulated my brother and are the reason I am…”

His anger seemed to evaporate, and he looked away. Azula realized how alone he looked.

“I don’t know why I told you all that,” he muttered. “I don’t know what to believe, I truly don’t. I’m fooling myself into believing this is the path forward, but I really don’t know where this will lead.”

Sasuke stared up into the sky as the moon slid free from behind the clouds and bathed the airship in a pale light. “But your father has answers. And I will have them.”

Azula watched him as he seemed to end his admission there, fully in shock that she had just been given such a confession. Every part of her rationale told her to leave it at that, but there was more to her than that, more that she felt she needed to say.

“I know what it’s like to feel betrayed.”

It seemed such a foolish and childish thing for her to say and she felt her cheeks burn at the stupidity of it. She expected him to laugh, but he didn’t, just kept staring out into the night.

“Do you,” he said coolly. She nodded despite being fully aware he wasn’t facing her direction.

“I don’t know if you’re right about anything you said, Sasuke. But I do know that… that I am confused. And probably lost.”

The words thundered in her head though they had escaped her mouth just barely and softly. There was no part of her that wanted to be lost, no part of her that even wanted to admit it. She would never say such a thing to her brother, or to Mai or Ty Lee, but something about Sasuke just made her feel like it was the right thing to do. On a certain level, she hated it; it was like being naked in front of him and the whole world, baring herself at her absolute weakest. But there was another part of her, that felt so good and relieved in saying these words, so much so that she couldn’t help but continue, even as the words came out of her like pulling teeth.

“If I can ever face the truth of that is another matter. But I know how you feel. I know what it’s like to be stabbed in the back so suddenly. I know what that hurt is like.”

She closed her eyes and let her confession sink into herself. It was vague, there were even parts of it she wasn’t sure she believed, but it was such a surreal experience, a new happening she could never have seen coming. It felt almost invigorating as though she had taken a great sip of water after being deeply dehydrated. She still felt nothing short of confused, but now there was a padding around it and it didn’t feel quite so insurmountable.

“You know nothing of hurt.”

Azula opened her eyes to see Sasuke standing right in front of her, his face only a foot from hers. She yelled in surprise and staggered back. He didn’t move but continued to glower at her intensely.

“You’ve been born into the lap of luxury, every grace of the world brought to your whim. You’ve had riches, commands and power all to your own, and you gladly traded your humanity for it.”

He stepped towards her and she matched his movement in reverse, taking a step back as he continued to growl. “All of a sudden, you find out your father might rather use you as a sacrifice for some stupid ritual, and you think that pain matches mine? You still have people who care about you, people who are willing to let you in, friends that have stuck by you through it all. A brother who you can still talk to, who you can still reconcile with.”

Sasuke tripped over the last piece of it. “A brother who loves you.”

He shook free of his verbal stutter and continued to rant. Azula backed away her feeling of relief long gone, her confusion once again stoked to a furious degree.

“You stand there and try to relate to me, when all you are is lost in your own ego, unwilling to take the chance to start over.”

Hitting her heel against something, Azula fell to the deck, her eyes not leaving the furious orbs peering down at her, as though repulsed by her very existence.

“I don’t have time for your self-patronizing pity. If you really believe that you are as helpless as you say you are, you really would be better off jumping off this ship.”

Leaving it at that, Sasuke turned away from her and walked to the rear of the airship. Before he even had finished walking towards wherever it was he was going, Azula had scrambled to her feet and rushed away. Yanking open the hatch that led below deck, she practically stumbled down the stairs and raced to her bunk. Throwing herself into it, she looked around in the darkness lit only by the gentle orange glow of the burners. Thanks to the rumble that accompanied that soft light, she could see that none of her fellow passengers seemed to have woken up.

It also allowed her to roll over and face away from them, letting her confused and horrified mind finally pull out the tears that had long since wanted to be free.

* * *

Gazing out into utter darkness as the moon dipped behind the clouds once more, Sasuke blew out an impatient sigh. It had been stupid of him to engage in any kind of conversation with a person who was so clearly mentally disturbed, though hopefully some of his blunt verbiage had gotten past her pride enough to plant some seeds of doubt.

After all, doubt made up most of his inner musings these days.

Sasuke hated the not knowing. Not even the uncertainty of being mostly unaware of his own past, but the uncertainty that this path he was choosing to take might just as easily lead to a myriad of questions more than he already had.

Was Ozai going to be able to tell him what he wanted to know? Maybe not. Had his fleeting memory of the Fire Lord’s whispered prayer even been in reference to him? Maybe not.

_Stop it. It has to be. This is all I have._

He had to pursue this; as soon as they landed in the islands it was just a matter of waiting for the Fire Lord’s advisor to make his venture to the festival and then he could move forward. He had nothing holding him back, it wasn’t as though any of these people were anything he needed to succeed. They hated him and wanted nothing to do with him, his promise to Katara notwithstanding.

There was no time to waste trying to forge bonds with these people, they clearly wanted him out of their lives as much as he wanted to be gone anyway. And he could not be bothered trying to rationalize his doubts and try to make some level of compromise achievable between them and his desires.

Doubt was for the weak.

* * *

“More tea, friend?”

“Please.”

Obito extended the arm holding his cup for Iroh to refill. The stars above were a breathtaking pattern and the previously steaming wasteland had cooled mercifully in the cover of night. Save for the stars above and the fire burning before them, there was no light to be seen anywhere amongst the dunes and rocky crags they had traveled over and had yet to go beyond. Their mounts were tethered nearby and rested peacefully, their metabolisms well suited to last for over a day on one large meal. Blankets had been rolled out over the smoother areas of their small camp and the meat that Iroh had been able to cook up rested peacefully in their stomachs while they spent their last few minutes before bed sipping tea that could only be described as heavenly.

For the first time since he had woken on that beach, Obito felt rather at peace.

Sitting down across from him with a grunt, Iroh blew on his own beverage as he eyed his companion. “So, Obito, you tell me that you are an amnesiac?”

Obito pulled a face and shrugged. “I guess if you want to call it that. Other than my name and some brief flashes, I’m pretty much as hopelessly lost as you could imagine anyone being.”

Iroh laughed heartily.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I know people, even in my own family, who know not only their names, but their past, their friends, their relatives, their positions, and are far more lost than you seem to be.”

“Awfully encouraging,” Obito grunted. “But I hope that I might find some guidance in Ba Sing Se; if there’s any place that I might be able to find answers, I think it might be there.”

“And why is that?” Iroh asked, “Of all the places in the Four Nations you could go to looking for clues to your past, why this city in particular?”

There was a pause as Obito considered how best to reply. On one hand, he was growing quite fond of the old man and didn’t quite want to scare him off with the truth that would sound more like he was crazy than anything. But he also had a feeling that slipping a lie past Iroh wasn’t as easy as it might seem.

“Call me crazy… but I’ve only had one dream since the beach. The night immediately after, when I fell asleep in a burnt out house along the coast, I dreamt of a woman.”

Laughing again, Iroh inclined his head. “Ah, I knew it!”

Obito smiled and waved a hand. “Not like that, you geezer. No, this woman was… intimidating more than anything. Tall, with these really nice looking robes and face paint too.”

He caught sight of Iroh’s playful smiling disappearing quickly and took note of it.

“When she spoke to me, she didn’t sound… angry, but she didn’t sound too pleased to see me either. I don’t remember exactly what she said, but I remember the ideas that she presented. She told me I didn’t belong here. That I was disturbing the order of things to even exist and that to learn how to undo the ill that I posed, I needed to travel to the greatest and wisest city in the Earth Nation to do so.”

There wasn’t much to tell beyond that and he waited for Iroh to call him crazy, but rather, the old man leaned forward as though he had just been denied the punchline to an intensely elaborate joke.

“And then? That can’t be all.”

Shrugging, Obito moved his cup back to his mouth. “Afraid so. And that’s all I have to go on, other than that I know there is someone I have to find. Though I know nothing about them or where to look. So, Ba Sing Se remains my best bet.”

He watched as Iroh sat back on his cushion and seemed to deeply consider what he had said.

“You like you believe me.”

Absently, Iroh nodded. “I do. Though it is hardly anything close to common, visitations from spirits are hardly impossible. For you to have this experience and being where you are and what you are, I would think you wise to take this particular advice seriously.”

Obito watched his companion carefully.

“What I am. What do you mean by that?”

Sighing, Iroh reached behind his head and scratched almost awkwardly. “My friend, it is not hard for me to admit that in all my years of seeing warriors, assassins, and soldiers of all kinds, the display you put on back at that port chilled me to my bone.”

Frowning, Obito stared at him. “I don’t understand. I thought you were alright with my killing of those bastards.”

Holding up a hand, Iroh nodded in concession. “Though I cannot condone the taking of any life, I believe your actions were not without warrant. But you misunderstand: I didn’t mean your actions, I meant how those actions were carried out.”

From where he sat cross-legged, Obito poked tensely at the fire with a stick that had fallen from a dead nearby banyan tree.

“How do you mean?”

Iroh leaned forward, eyes glimmering with intent.

“Your speed, my boy. Your ferocity and precision.” He pointed at Obito and raised his eyebrows. “Perhaps you don’t remember your past, but your body seems to remember perfectly well how to be the most proficient swordsman these lands have ever seen.”

Laughing half-heartedly, Obito leaned back, assuming this was the old man’s attempt at polite flattery. “I’m sure it wasn’t that impressive.”

“No, it was. It was also very perplexing if I may say so.”

At this, he looked up to see Iroh staring at him keenly as though trying to sense something out. Obito wasn’t sure the old man could be sending more mixed signals if he tried.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand your meaning.”

Chewing briefly at the inside of his mouth, Iroh adjusted his cushion before elaborating. “There was more to it than your speed. When I saw you, there was something different about you, even if for only a moment. Your eyes… “

He looked down and shook his head.

“I am getting a little up there in years, but my eyesight is as good as its ever been. And I know for sure that I saw something in your eyes that I’ve never seen before.”

Obito sat in silence as he listened to these words, feeling a very real uncomfortable tingling on the back of his neck as though something were staring at him from a great distance with ravenous, monstrous intent.

“One of them, I believe it was your left, seemed to have a purplish hue to it. And your right, well it was glowing red. They only appeared this way for a split second, but I know what I saw. They only looked this way as you cut through the soldiers and when they were all dead at your feet, your eyes were normal again. But I know what I saw.”

As the word’s repeated themselves in Obito’s head, he thought back to the few times he had been forced into combat since the beach. He had no recollection or feeling that his eyes had been more than just eyes, that they had reflected some otherworldly colors, but there was a change that he knew was real when he drew his sword with the intent of killing. There was a noticeable change in the way he viewed things, the way others moved; they seemed to telegraph their moves before even beginning them and they seemed to move much more slowly on top of everything else. No man that Obito had cut down had proven anything close to a challenge, never even seeming to manage a single attack, let alone come close to harming him.

“I know,” he whispered before shaking his head and clearing his throat. “I mean, I don’t know about any eyes, but I do know that there is a part of me that is able to take fighting, take combat, and reduce it to a perfectly readable form. I can tell what people are going to do before they do it, and I can move faster than anyone can keep up with.”

He reached behind him and pulled his katana to him, placing it on his lap as he examined the sheath and the handle.

“I took this from a swordsmith on an island near the one I got passage to the Earth Nation on. At the time, I was being pursued by bandits who were after me because I had killed one of their number in self-defense in a tavern the night before. I ran into his shop and demanded a weapon. It struck me as odd only long after the fact that he could have pulled one of his swords and forced me out or attacked me himself; he was perhaps only ten years older than I, and was well built and strong. And on top of that, he had any sword he could have wanted in reaching distance from the wall behind the counter.”

Obito continued to stare down at the simple, but ornate sheath.

“But he didn’t do any of that. He didn’t even give me one of his cheaper swords. He gave me this one, definitely not one of his poorer makes.”

“The bandits caught up with me outside of that town on a cliffside. I tried to explain my position, my side of the story, but they were long past words.”

He paused and Iroh asked him lightly. “And?”

Obito looked up.

“And I killed them all.”

Lifting the sword lightly, he pulled it a few inches from its sheathe and looked at the pure shine of the blade itself in the dancing glow of their fire. “This sword became more than just a weapon then. It felt like a part of my arm, easy to whip around as a finger.”

Pushing the blade back in, he set it on the ground before where he sat.

“I know there’s more going on with me than I know, I’m not just some wandering swordsman. And if my dream is anything to be trusted… well, even if it’s not, this is all I have to go on.”

Leaving it at that, he looked back to Iroh who was watching him with a look of consternation as though he wanted to say something that he just couldn’t spit out. Eventually, he did reply, talking slow and careful, “You’ve been blessed with a very powerful and potentially calamitous ability. I just hope you understand that though we don’t know what it is, that just being equipped with it is a very steep responsibility.”

Obito looked down into his cup, trying to catch a glimpse of his reflection. In the dim flickering light of the fire, he only saw brief flashes of his own visage, but there was no purple or red glow to his eyes. Just his own dark eyes and the scarring that had been ravaged to the right side of his face. For the first time since they had begun their travels, he felt a surge of real annoyance towards the old man.

_You think I don’t know that? What, you think I’m just going to go commit a genocide because I can?_

He sighed. Of course Iroh hadn’t meant it like that. But that thought left an uncomfortable thought lingering in the back of his mind. What if his past was a fair bit darker than he had even taken the time to consider?

“I don’t mean to imply anything, Obito. I can tell you have a strong heart, I just would hate to see you go astray.”

Looking up at his traveling companion, Obito asked, “What makes you say that?”

Lifting a shoulder thoughtfully, Iroh murmured. “There are very few people who would say that soldiers abusing a mother or an old man is passable. But I’m sure very few of them would actually act upon that indignation should they be confronted by it.”

Rolling his eyes, Obito looked away into the dark, still distantly embarrassed. “I acted on impulse and let my emotion control how I acted. I didn’t take any factors into account other than the ones immediately apparent.”

Shrugging, Iroh refilled his own teacup.

“I said you had a strong heart, not that you were smart.”

The two looked at each other for a long moment before they both began to chuckle. Obito relished the sound of laughter as it passed between them and rolled out over the sand and dirt. But as the old man continued laughing long after him, he felt his anxiousness and doubt swirl back to his mind. His eyes had changed, had they? What could that mean? Was it part of his biology? Since he had begun to educate himself through the streets on the way of this world that felt so foreign that he still had to be part of, he knew that he was not among those privileged enough to be benders. But was he privy to something else, some other ability that was just as foreign to this world as he felt to it?

Pushing this aside, he decided to change the subject; dwelling on the unknown was as useless as trying to empty the ocean into a hole in the sand.

“Well, you know my reason for traveling now. How about you? Why Ba Sing Se?”

Iroh’s eyes became distant and thoughtful as he answered, “The city is under Fire Nation control. They’re only letting in refugees who pose no harm, all others are being turned away to internment camps just beyond the city walls.”

He gestured to Obito and his sword. “You’ll pardon my saying so, but they might take exception to you and your weapon.”

Not even slightly deterred, Obito shrugged. “I’ll be as persuasive as I can.”

Iroh smiled, but it was almost sad.

“I’m going to try and meet up with some old friends is all. I was worried about them after all the conflict that has taken place within the city and the lands surrounding it. I’ve received word they’ve set up camp outside Ba Sing Se, and I hope to meet up with them by tomorrow.”

Cocking his head, Obito asked, “You’re not going to enter the city?”

Shaking his head, Iroh looked down towards the ground; he looked very much like he was holding something back. “No, I’m afraid our paths will part following our nearing of the city.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Obito remarked. “I daresay I’ve enjoyed your company.”

Taking another drink from his tea, Iroh smiled over his cup. “I would have assumed that my questions and constant storytelling would wear on you.”

“Why so?”

“When I traveled with my…” Iroh seemed to resolve something and sighed. “My nephew. When we traveled together he often lamented and complained of my perpetual allegories, questions and talking period. I began to wonder if that would just be people’s natural reaction.”

Feeling no reserve whatsoever in saying what he thought, Obito spoke plainly.

“Your nephew is a fool. Any person alive would be more than fortunate to have you as a companion on any journey.”

Iroh’s eyes seemed to glaze for a second and Obito cleared his throat; he hadn’t meant to go so far as to make the old man get emotional. But eventually Iroh cleared his throat as well and shook his head. “He’s just a little lost these days, I fear. I hope one day he will be able to see the truth as plainly as it is laid in front of him.”

“Lost, like me?”

“Perhaps not entirely. He remembers every piece of himself as vividly and painfully as anything can be recalled, and all it has done is torment him because he never knew how to confront it. But he will find his way, I have faith in that.”

Grunting, Obito set his cup down before him. “Yeah, I’d actually say that’s a very different kind than mine.”

Letting out a content sigh, Iroh closed his eyes. “You feel there is more than one kind of lost?”

Obito resumed poking at the fire with the stick he had found, trying to rationalize in his head what he actually thought about what he meant.

“You can be lost, in a physical sense where you don’t know where you are. You can be lost like me where you have no past that you can remember and it leaves you in limbo, unsure and distant to everything as you try and figure your own path.”

He pulled the stick back and tossed it into the fire, watching it burn and blacken. “But your nephew sounds the worse off of the three. Having everything before you all lain out and still not knowing where to go sounds as terrible as it can get. If I’m honest, I’d much rather be without my memory and traveling with you, than know everything about myself and be aimless in my future.”

Letting his words hang over the fire, Obito paused to wonder if actually meant what he said before a long, intake of breath on the other side of the fire stirred him and he looked up.

Iroh’s chin had sagged to his chest and he appeared to have fallen asleep sitting down. Obito sighed.

_Maybe it’s better he didn’t hear that._

Finishing off his tea, he got to his feet and kicked the fire out before walking over and gently laying Iroh down, laying the old man’s blanket over him.

“Good night, Iroh,” Obito muttered. “Thanks for the tea.”

Under the gently flickering lights in the night sky, he stretched out on his own blankets and fell asleep very quickly as the last of the fire’s embers popped and sizzled out.

* * *

“Oh my goodness… it’s really gorgeous.”

“Katara, I thought we talked about describing really nice things when you’re well aware I can’t partake.”

“Sorry, Toph…”

Aang laughed at the exchange that took place next to him and stared out at the sight before them. The coast they were flying over was a beach of pale sand that stretched into the distance as far as they could see from their lowering altitude. From the beach inland from any distance from a dozen meters to several dozen a luscious green tree line carpeted towards the innards of the island wherein occasional specks of dark indicating the remains of the aforementioned abandoned temples and dwellings. The ocean was a deep clear blue and almost seemed to merge with the horizon that led into the expansive cloudless sky that domed above them, the sun beating down with a fervent warmth. To Aang, it was as relieving a sight as any locale could be; it was distant and vacant, and beautiful to boot.

Ty Lee looked over at Mai, chewing on her bottom lip with an air of nerves. “Mai, are you sure that this is as safe as you think? Isn’t there a chance that some vacationers who didn’t want to be too close to the festival might have come out here?”

Shaking her head, Mai gestured back the way they had come. “The festival and most of the prime spots and beaches are down the coast, down the west side and an island over. This would be pretty far out of anyone’s way. Besides, don’t let the nice weather fool you; this place stays pretty deserted because most of the thunderstorms roll over this part of the island chain first before dissipating over the inland.”

Toph, who was leaning over the railing, her unseeing eyes looking out towards nothing in particular, punched Sasuke in the ribs; Aang, alongside the rest, visibly tensed as she did so, but Sasuke had no visible reaction.

“Well, freak? Look as pretty as everyone seems to think?”

“Hmm,” was all Sasuke said, and Toph nodded glumly.

“I feel the same way.”

Aang exchanged looks with Katara and she looked just as befuddled as he felt, if a bit more worried, but it was clear that Toph and Sasuke’s relationship was something a little more unique than they might have guessed.

To his right, Azula looked entirely unimpressed with her arms crossed as she jutted her chin towards the beaches. “I don’t suppose we have some idea on where to put this thing down; if any airship passes over this part of the island, it won’t be nearly as easy to hide as your flying carpet.”

Aang gave the princess a look, but knew that scolding her for speaking demeaningly about Appa would be less than productive. But as if on cue, Appa himself swung out of the sky above them to pull up alongside the airship; from his back, Sokka gave them a wave as he called out.

“About a half mile east there’s a gorge a little ways inland that we could probably set it down.”

Mai nodded, “Lead the way.” Sokka gave a thumbs up and urged Appa down towards the island as Zuko moved to the ship’s steering. The ship dipped to the right in order to follow and Toph made an uncomfortable noise as she stumbled and began to fall. Aang moved forward to keep her from tumbling down the deck, but to his further surprise, Sasuke reached out without looking and snagged her by the back of her shirt and then slung her against the railing which she clung to for dear life, looking both sick and embarrassed.

“Thanks,” she muttered in a tone that was barely audible. Aang nearly chuckled at that and looked to Katara again, but she didn’t return his glance and he saw she was still staring at the back of Sasuke’s head with eyes partially narrowed. Sighing quietly, Aang looked out forward; he had hoped that whatever Katara and Sasuke had talked about would have been enough to at least curb the animosity that had boiled between them, but now things were even more up in the air then before. Ever since they had all gotten up that morning, as Sasuke had resolutely ignored most of them, Katara had kept a vigilant eye on him as though expecting some hideous betrayal out of the blue. Aang wished he had the gall to confront both of them, but the mere idea of getting in both their faces about their conflict terrified him.

_I can face down the Fire Nation army… but I can’t tell Katara and Sasuke that they’re both being stupid._

An odd thought to say the least.

* * *

From where he stood beside Toph at the forefront of the ship, Sasuke was not oblivious to the attention he was receiving. He knew Aang was probably looking at him sadly, trying to figure out how to smooth things over between him and the group, he knew Ty Lee and Mai were still all probably staring daggers into the back of his head. Katara was likely keeping as close an eye on him as she could in order to make sure he had no intention of breaking their deal, and Zuko was surely back there still entirely unsure of how to react to him.

But it was Azula that Sasuke’s thoughts kept returning to.

It had surprised him when he had walked on deck that morning and the very sight of her had been enough to cause his heart to skip a beat as he half expected her to lash out at him, but she had just turned quickly away. She was just a little behind him to his left now, and he found that he couldn’t keep his mind off her.

_Did what I said last night mean anything to her? Is she back on the warpath and wanting to kill me? Is she scared?_

The most aggravating thought was that her denial of her self was something that Sasuke had a sinking feeling had once been applicable in his own life, perhaps to a much more severe degree. He hated how the memories he could recall were feelings and ideas more than actual recollections; it made piecing things together so much more difficult.

Glancing at Toph to make sure that she was safely secure clutching the railing for their descent, Sasuke turned and pushed past the members of the group to go below deck. If he could help it, he would rather not be getting constantly eyed up any more than he had to, and his bunk would provide him with just the comfort he needed for the next half hour while the ship was guided down.

“Sasuke.”

Stifling a wince, Sauske turned to see that the hatch to below deck had reopened despite his closing of it. Mai was standing at the bottom of the stairs looking intently his direction, arms crossed.

“Yeah?” he asked bluntly. He had no time for a lecture right now, or a chewing out, or whatever the hell these people wanted to throw at him now. Mai turned around to look and see if they were being overheard and opted to close the hatchway just in case. She turned back to him, her piercing expression staring fiercely through him.

“When we land, Ty Lee and I want a word with you.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “You can skip it; Katara already dressed me down back at the temple.”

Seeming to bristle, Mai slowly sucked in a breath as though trying to keep herself from shouting. “It’s not like that, but I promise it’s more important.”

She inclined her head in his direction and narrowed her eyes further.

“So don’t you get any ideas of running off by yourself too quickly. Even if you do, we’ll find you.”

And just as quickly as she had come down, she strode back above deck, slamming the hatch behind her with clear aggression. Sasuke looked after her for a long second, before giving a frustrated sigh and dropping down on his bunk and pondering a last thought before closing his eyes.

_Just how many of these women are going to try and kill me before this week is out?_


	10. Chapter 10

** Chapter 10: Consonance **

Several dozen yards into the thick trees that formed the woodland that took up most of the island, Sasuke sat alone on a waist high boulder, cleaning his sword. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of joyful shouts and the splashing of water, likely caused by both the rolling of the waves and the patrons occupying it. It seemed that several members of the group were more than happy to take some time to relax, basking in the sun and playing in the sea spray. Sasuke was sure he heard Aang’s voice through the trees and it brought him the faintest inkling of contentment that the Avatar was being allowed a moment to just be a kid. It was likely there weren’t many of those chances remaining come the arrival of this so-called Sozin’s Comet.

Sasuke had expected that having to wait to continue his quest to hunt down Ozai would have taken a frustrating and impatience-inducing toll the moment they arrived on the island, but he was surprised to find that this respite was actually rather pleasant. Time to be alone with his thoughts had been something he had struggled with to find, but here, secluded among the trees with sunlight streaming through the foliage, he had time to think.

He set aside his doubt and his uncertainty regarding the path he had chosen and the necessity in finding Ozai and let his angst in remembering Itachi rest, for at least the time being. All he had to think about was finding the Fire Lord’s advisor at this festival and going from there. Without having all the pieces to his memory, he was finding it actually rather easy to simply focus on what was ahead of him, and it was a fairly freeing feeling.

Constant judgement from third parties on the other hand…

“Good. I thought you might have taken off.”

Sasuke barely glanced up as Mai and Ty Lee stepped into the small clearing he was using as a place of temporary alleviation from the constant stares and silent threats. He saw, rather startingly, that they were both in swimsuits themselves and he nearly cracked a smirk; Ty Lee he could see frolicking on a beach all day, but he would have assumed Mai the type to hole up under some shade far from the water’s edge.

He gestured to the both of them, “Where did you get those?”

Mai jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “About a kilometer down the beach there was an abandoned supply shack that peddlers must have used before the storms drove everyone from this side of the island.”

As he looked at the fervent glares they still were fixing him with, Sasuke couldn’t resist throwing a wrench in their mental processes.

“You both look nice.”

It worked better than he had hoped and he watched both of their cheeks redden and their eyes widen before they managed to recompose themselves. Though his overall interest in romance was neither here nor there, Sasuke was well aware that his natural features were significantly above average and this was bound to attract attention. He had experienced a faint memory in his dreams that previous night of him sitting at a desk and listening to women his age clamor at who would be able to sit next to him. He supposed there were some things he was better off not remembering.

Ty Lee regained herself first and furrowed her brow at him, “If that’s supposed to be some kind of smart-ass—”

She cut off as Mai put a hand on her shoulder and looked at Sasuke with equal annoyance. “Let’s not make this any more painful than we have to.”

Sasuke pushed it further. “So, which one of you is the wingman?”

At that, Ty Lee looked about ready to sprint to where he was leaning against his rock and strangle him, but Mai’s grip on her shoulder tightened, holding her in place.

“I can assure you, that’s not at all what this is about,” Mai said plainly. “We had something different to inform you of.”

Of the same mind that this really didn’t need to take longer than necessary, Sasuke sighed and pushed away from the boulder, sheathing his sword and placing it atop.

“Alright, let me save you the trouble.”

He cleared his throat and spoke bitingly. “’Sasuke, we want to tell you that we’re not happy you’re here, we think you’re dangerous, and you’d better watch your back.’”

Raising his hands openly, he gave the pair of them a look.

“How was that?”

Mai stared him down, chewing at the inside of her mouth as though trying to formulate the best response she could to his sarcastic take on what she had been about to say. It was Ty Lee however who spoke on their behalf then.

“This isn’t about either of us.”

Sasuke grunted and turned back to pick up his sword. “Damn, I thought that would be pretty close.”

As he returned it to his rope belt, he looked back to the both of them and raised an eyebrow.

“Go on then.”

Mai gave a sharp sigh of finality. “It’s about Azula.”

Ignoring a strange throb in his gut at the sound of her name, Sasuke crossed his arms in front of him. “What about her?”

Mai and Ty Lee exchanged glances and the latter gave her friend a nod before looking away towards the ground almost awkwardly. Mai addressed him then in what was the closest thing to civil he thought he had ever heard her tone reach with him.

“We’re worried about what having you around is doing to her, in a mental regard.”

He said nothing, simply looked on and she took that as a sign to continue.

“It’s no secret that the fates of you both have come into close contact ever since you…” she seemed to struggle with the word he knew was coming. “…saved us from the palace. She challenged you to an Agni Kai shortly thereafter and tried her absolute hardest to even so much as scratch you after which you flattened her brutally.”

Remembering how he had very nearly lost all control, Sasuke chose not to exacerbate the hostile feelings both young women surely felt towards him by remarking on that particular event.

“Azula is anything but an open book. She’s treated everyone she’s ever met, save her father, with either contempt, or as tools.”

Interrupting, Sasuke pointed between them. “And the two of you being… which?”

Mai ignored him.

“But since she met you, things have been different. She tried to assert herself by defeating you in combat, which backfired. Every time I see her, she’s either staring fixated at you, or looking around for where you might be. And the conversation the two of you had on deck last night isn’t a secret.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “You heard that?”

Shaking her head, Mai replied, “No, not the words. But there are vents along the sides of the below deck that allow you to see at foot level on deck and I saw the both of you up there last night.”

As he listened to the list of grievances being aired his way, Sasuke noticed Ty Lee looked still uncomfortable and resolutely at anything but him. This was not her usual attitude towards him as he was much more used to her being totally content simply glowering at him, but he could tell there was more going on here than he would have guessed.

Mai seemed to struggle briefly, as she prepared to get to the point.

“In short, no one has ever affected Azula the way you have. You’ve helped force her into a difficult position, where she has to rely on companions, not minions, but you’d never guess that this would be so distressing to her, because all her attention seems focused on you.”

As she stopped here, Sasuke realized that she was waiting for some kind of response out of him. Thinking of nothing particularly prudent to say, he shrugged, adding, “Alright.”

This seemed to snap Ty Lee out of whatever trance had been keeping her from speaking up and her eyes snapped to Sasuke’s.

“No! It’s not ‘alright’! You don’t even know what you’re doing to her, do you?!”

Ever presently calm, Sasuke shrugged. “I guess not. Maybe you can explain it to me.”

Ty Lee continued to stare at him, her breast heaving furiously as she looked ready once again to race to him and batter him into a bloody pulp. Mai spoke next, though it was quiet and almost reserved, as though she was frightened of even saying what she believed.

“I don’t know exactly how much, or to what extent… but Azula is infatuated with you.”

This was enough to catch him by surprise and he pulled a face. “I’m sorry?”

She gave him a humorless smile.

“I can tell you’re just as oblivious to it as all boys are, but it’s fairly clear that she’s become somehow beguiled by your mere existence.”

Her expression darkened. “Don’t get me wrong, this is something more than just some crush. She never even considered the possibility that someone stronger than her could exist; you’re a complete curiosity to everyone, not just her. But because of what you’ve done, and what you’re capable of, she’s… well…”

It was clear that even just talking about this was something Mai didn’t want to do and Ty Lee’s expression had become something much more pained than angry. Sasuke, in relative contrast, wasn’t buying any of it.

“So, let me get this straight. I help spring her from her psycho dad, beat her half to death and completely dismiss her in all other senses, and you think she… likes me?”

Mai looked as disappointed in the prospect as he would expect.

“There were signs,” she muttered. “When you passed out after focusing the thunderstorm or whatever you did at the palace, she went to drag you to the airship without a word. She stood between you and elite archers back at the temple to keep them from firing. And, most unbelievably and something you might not understand since you haven’t known her for too long, she hasn’t done everything in her power to slit your throat after you humiliated her so badly in that Agni Kai.”

Sasuke looked at her flatly. “So if it had been anyone else who had beaten her, she would have long since tried to put a knife in their back.”

Nodding, Mai crossed her arms. Sasuke looked between her and Ty Lee, half expecting one of them to burst out laughing at this hyper elaborate joke, but neither did. He let silence linger for several long seconds before addressing what he had been told.

“If there’s any truth to this, and I’m hardly convinced there is, why bring this to me? If I’m as oblivious as you say, why not just let me flounder in my own ignorance?”

Ty Lee nearly cut him off before he was done talking with how viciously and swiftly she answered.

“Because this can’t go on! If this… fascination with you goes any further, it will end badly for her! You said it yourself, you’re dangerous and you’re not the kind of person she needs by her side!”

Playing devil’s advocate to a prospect he didn’t quite believe, Sasuke spread his arms inquisitively.

“How do you know that? You didn’t hear what we actually said last night, how can you be sure we’re not both perfect for each other behind closed doors?”

Mai pulled her lips back in a look of disgust. “Please. I was seconds away from trying to sneak on deck and listen in, but she came down below again before I could. And it was fairly obvious you had rattled her pretty badly, and I think we have a right to know how.”

Ty Lee practically growled at him, “You bastard, what did you say to her? Can you really not tell how damaged she is?”

Suddenly feeling frustration swell in him, Sasuke took a step in their direction, ignoring the instinctive defensive physical stances they both adopted immediately.

“I’m apparently the only one who _can_ tell! No one has the guts to tell her how pathetic she is and it’s going to get her in more trouble than anyone is willing to consider! I told her exactly what she needed to hear, that if she wants a chance at recovering, at getting a shot at her second chance, changes need to happen. Whether she listens or not isn’t something I’m holding my breath on.”

He jabbed a finger at the pair of them, relishing how their derisive and judgmental looks had fragmented into wide-eyed looks of fright at his sudden outburst.

“And regardless, I don’t give a _damn_ what you think you have a right to. You think you’re her friends? Start acting like it instead of treating her like some fragile pottery about to shatter. She’s already broken.”

Turning away from them, he waited for some angry response, or perhaps a fist swung at the back of his head, but none came. Instead, a meager voice issued from Ty Lee as she barely murmured.

“She deserves better than you…”

Suddenly, a large piece of the puzzle fell into place, and Sasuke turned, eyes widening. “Oh, so that’s what this is about. It’s not about what’s good for her, it’s about what she deserves? You sure seem enlightened in that regard, why not let me in on the secret? Who’s the lucky guy she _deserves_?”

He allowed an audible amount of deliberateness to drip into his tone.

“Or lucky girl?”

The look of absolute agony that lit up Ty Lee’s face then was enough for him to confirm his suspicion and she stomped a foot in clear, aggravated helplessness and stormed back into the trees towards the beach. Mai looked after her for a long moment before quietly speaking again.

“You know how to push someone’s buttons, I’ll give you that.”

Sasuke grunted before sitting back down on his rock. “I’d say sorry, but considering how everyone seems to have nothing but resentment and enmity for my mere presence, I can’t say as I’m particularly inclined.”

When she looked his way again there was almost a pity in her eyes. “Well, you haven’t read the situation nearly as thoroughly as you think you have.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow inquisitively, but she didn’t elaborate on what he had missed. He expected her to leave it at that, but she spoke again and there was a startling amount of softness in her voice then.

“I know you’re not a bad person, Sasuke. I don’t even think we all couldn’t be friends under different circumstances. But you are dangerous. And Azula is hurting more than anyone is able to get a good look at. We just don’t want to see her hurt more.”

Gradually, Sasuke felt the annoyance he had been feeling begin to dissipate from his veins, and he sighed. “Then talk to her. Yell at her. Hold her down and scream the truth in her ears if you have to. Because she’s not budging easily, I can promise you that.”

Mai looked towards the ground. “I know.”

With that, she turned and began to walk away, but paused at the edge of the clearing. Half turning, she addressed him a last time.

“I’m sorry.”

And she too disappeared into the bright green foliage. Sasuke stared after her, genuinely surprised by her words. He would have expected nothing less than utter bitterness based on what he could tell of Mai’s personality, but it seemed there was more to her than he might have given her credit for.

He leaned back and looked through the bits of blue sky he could make out through the massive leaves above.

_Azula._

He hadn’t even really considered it. A curiosity sure, but something resembling allure, even attraction? Maybe even obsession? Sasuke shook his head; the pair of them were imagining things, Azula would never fall for someone like him. If Ty Lee wanted her so badly, she could have her.

He grumbled to himself as his mind turned to Ty Lee. Regret mingled as he thought to how he had provoked her as such harassment was only prone to making his stay with these people even more precarious. He supposed the proper thing to do would be to find her and apologize, though the mere thought of that was so alien, he had to go through it several times in his head before even acknowledging it as a possibility.

Before the idea could even make it past the planning phase, his attention was retaken as another person came scampering into his clearing.

Toph’s skin still was soaked in ocean water, her hair wet and wild hanging down her back. She was breathing hard and still had the ghost of a smile on her face; she clearly had been enjoying herself down at the beach. Her expression became more controlled as she neared him, adjusting her borrowed swimsuit that looked somewhat too big for her small frame.

“Sorry, I totally forgot you said you wanted to talk.”

Sasuke waved a hand. “Not a problem.

_Say something nice._

“I’m glad you were having fun.”

She seemed surprised at his response, but smiled nonetheless. As she approached his rock, she turned and looked back the way they had come. “Mai and Ty Lee were going the other way, everything okay?”

_Hardly._

“Yeah, they just wanted to talk about Azula.”

Without any hesitation whatsoever, she put her hands on the rock he was leaning against and jumped up to sit beside him. Again, Sasuke was blown away by how she seemed so utterly indifferent to his presence, a welcome change to the rest of the group. “Gotcha. Nothing too serious I hope?”

He looked over to her. “Why do you ask?”

Toph pulled a face and shrugged. “Ty Lee had a walk about her.”

“What do you mean, ‘a walk’?”

“I mean, she was walking like someone had shoved a stick up her ass and made her pay for it. She wasn’t happy, wherever she was stomping off to.”

Glad he could maintain a façade of apathy around Toph when she couldn’t see his face, Sasuke grimaced, though his voice reflected none of that. “Beats me. She doesn’t seem to have taken any kind of liking to my tagging along for this long a period.”

Running her hands through her mess of black hair, she smiled.

“Well, for what it’s worth, Aang doesn’t mind having you around.”

She kicked her feet for a moment, looking somewhat unsure of herself. “Neither do I.”

Being anything akin to grateful was something Sasuke found rather difficult, but since he did need Toph’s help, he did his best.

“Well… thanks.”

The word came out of him like a pulled tooth and Toph laughed. “You are frickin ridiculous, I swear. Would it hurt you that much to loosen up around people?”

For this, he had no comment and she seemed to understand that; as her laughter faded away, she turned her head his direction.

“Anyways, you wanted to see me?”

“Yeah, I did.”

Sasuke looked towards the ground beneath his feet, towards the dirt and the green and the rocks. He knew that this was Toph’s forte, her natural element literally and metaphorically. And right now, he was going to have to ask her help.

He grit his teeth. Ask help from a twelve-year-old. Surely that was as embarrassing as it could get.

“I overheard Sokka talking with his girlfriend last night before we left. He mentioned something about you being able to not just pull apart and shape the earth beneath your feet, but you can also work with metal? Is that true?”

Tilting her head to the left and right, she thought about it. “To a certain extent. I’m not at a point yet where I can totally just rip a Fire Nation battleship in half, but I think I can get there.”

“Uh… yeah,” Sasuke muttered. “Anyway, I wanted to ask: if you wanted to, could you feel metal in the earth beneath us right now?”

She nodded.

“And you could sort it from the earth itself and pull it up?”

She nodded again, but asked, “Why?”

Reaching the part he was more reluctant about, he sucked down his pride and spoke through nearly clenched teeth. “I was hoping you could pull up some metal from beneath us for me to use. Not much, just about a handbasket’s worth.”

She made face that was both confused and heavily humored by his request.

“Wait, let me get this straight. You can bend earth, water, air and fire, and who knows what else. You can turn a thunderstorm into a single strike to wipe out over a hundred soldiers. You can move faster than the eye can follow, are as strong and as good a fighter as anyone we’ve ever met, but you need help getting some metal?”

Sasuke flexed his jaw. “Yeah.”

“And you’re asking for my help.”

“Yeah.”

Toph let out another laugh, this one as much a bark as anything. “Well isn’t that just the damnedest thing. Alright, Sasuke, sure thing.”

She hopped down from the rock and sat cross legged on the ground. On her left and right, she dug her fingers up to their knuckles in the earth and closed her eyes. Though nothing happened after that, Sasuke assumed she just needed to concentrate and kept as quiet and still as he could. After a minute or so, she asked from the ground.

“What is it you call it? We call it bending, but you have another word for it, right?”

Guessing that she didn’t need complete silence to work, Sasuke replied, “It’s called jutsu. And it’s not something you’re born with, well not really anyway.”

He stopped there and she took her hand out of the ground and waved it at him expectantly, keeping her eyes closed. “Elaborate?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“From what I can remember, people like me can use jutsu based on the internal amount of chakra we have.”

“Well, for us benders, chakra are points in our body that we concentrate chi to control and bend a certain element.”

Nodding as he remembered Aang mentioning something like that, Sasuke tried to clarify, “I think the word has different meanings based on our respective teachings. For jutsu, it’s chakra, for bending I guess you could call it chi.”

She nodded back. “Got it.”

Sasuke continued, “There are three kinds of jutsu and they are all heavily varied and complicated. To keep it simple, one allows for the utilization of physical and mental energy to produce a full optimization of the body as a fighting machine, bringing hand to hand combat to a furthered level. It doesn’t usually require chakra.”

“Another form uses chakra to create illusions and visions to disorient victims and opponents; I used this type on Mai and Azula when I escaped the prison and I used it again on General Ako to keep him from turning Sokka into soup.”

Toph cocked her head, “So when he started groveling to an invisible Fire Lord…?”

Sasuke replied, “I put him in an illusion where he thought that to be the case.”

She nodded slowly. “And the last?”

Turning his head towards the trees, Sasuke thought of how to describe it. Of all the things he could remember, jutsu was one of the most complete pieces of his broken memory bank, but describing what was known as ninjutsu wasn’t so simple.

“It’s hard to describe, but I guess you could quantify it is bending, like you people do, but it’s much more than that. I can access more than just the four elements that seem to be the pillars of your guys’ abilities, and I can also do a great deal more with them. For example, I can ‘bend’ water like you would say, but I can also influence it beyond waving about and sending it flowing everywhere.”

Toph smirked, “If you think that’s all Katara can manage, you’ve got a heck of another thing coming.”

Putting Katara in mind reminded him of what the two of them had previously discussed and he bit his tongue before replying.

“I have no doubt.”

After a moment, Toph’s face contorted as she considered something. “Hang on, so you can do all this stuff with all these different elements and crap, but you can’t make just a little metal come out of the ground.”

Wiggling his toes in annoyance, Sasuke muttered, “Not something that’s come back to me yet, I suppose.”

She continued on, her little voice practically echoing with laughter. “That’s so funny. You can make a _thunderstorm_ obey you, but you can’t move a little, teeny bit of metal…”

Getting down from the rock, Sasuke crossed his arms, his voice raised in annoyance. “Don’t you think you could work faster if you weren’t trying so hard to be some kind of half-assed comedian?”

She gave him a blank look and pointed behind him. “Oh, I got your iron a while ago, it was just a lot of fun poking you.”

Sasuke whirled to see that she had silently positioned a small pile of raw iron behind him and he hadn’t noticed. He turned back to see her giving him a toothy shit-eating grin and he growled as he turned away to examine the material.

“You can be kind of insufferable, you know that?”

She let out another chirp of a laugh, “If I don’t get told that at least a couple times a day by Katara, or Sokka, or whoever else, I assume I’m not doing my job properly.”

He shook his head; utterly incredible her attitude, though he supposed it was more refreshing than being constantly treated like crap on the bottom of a shoe.

“Well, thanks,” he managed to snap offhandedly. She hopped to her feet behind him.

“I assumed you’re going to be using all that to make some weapons or something violence based, but you should come back to the beach with me for a little while first.”

Sasuke had already prepared the first of the few jutsu he was going to employ to start shaping the iron into kunai, but looked back at this, properly confused now.

“Why?”

She shrugged, her face now wearing a hopeful smile. “I think it would be good for you to spend some time with everybody, maybe go for a swim or help me kick over one of Sokka’s hideous sand sculptures.”

Sasuke looked upwards to the treetops, shaking his head in exasperation. “Why would I want to do any of that?”

Her smile flipped into a frown then, “Because, Sasuke, you acting like this complete asshat and trying to isolate yourself all the time is getting pretty old!”

He looked to her, surprised by her outburst and saw that her overall mood really did seem to have shifted.

“Why even come with us at all?! Just so you can mope around and act all angsty?! Besides, a distraction from all your brooding will be good for you!”

Sasuke crossed his arms and stared down at her, feeling like he had just about had it with this. “Maybe it hasn’t crossed your mind, Toph, but I need you people to tell me where and who this advisor is when he shows up. Believe me, I don’t take any great pleasure in being treated like a horse’s ass just because everyone’s scared of me; I’ll be out of here as soon as I can and you kids won’t have to worry about me anymore.”

Her face still reflected her dissatisfaction with the situation, but she did no more than mutter, “You’re literally a kid too.”

Suddenly, her expression perked up and he frown flipped into a grin.

“Well, lucky for you, I’ve got my whole afternoon cleared. So I’ll just follow you around and annoy you until you come hang out with us for a bit.”

Sasuke grit his teeth. “You’d better not.”

“I will.”

“I have no qualms about hanging you a few thousand feet up out of an airship again, if that’s how you want to play this.”

She continued to face resolutely his way and Sasuke saw his bluff hadn’t worked. Setting his sword beside the unused iron, he rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine, let’s go.”

Toph seemed to double take and he could tell she really hadn’t expected him to concede. “Wait, really?”

Sighing again, Sasuke replied, “Yes, really. But only for a bit.”

He had to get to work crafting his kunai. Cobbling some together from some scraps he had found at the temple had been enough for him to realize he should ensure that he was properly equipped, but if it got Toph off his back, he could postpone a little longer.

With a triumphant shout, she grabbed his wrist and began to drag him eagerly back through the woods towards the beach. Sasuke tried to pull his hand free, “That’s really not necessary…”

She utterly ignored him. “This’ll be so sweet. Everyone’s gonna finally see Sasuke come out of his shell!”

“I’m not _in_ a shell, I just don’t—”

“Oh, and we saw some flying dolphins as well! There was a pod of them that passed by a few hours ago, but Mai reckons they’ll come back by with the tide.”

“A pod of _what_ …?”

After a minute or so of his words and inquiries falling on deaf ears as Toph relayed all of the fantastic things that Sasuke had no intention of doing, they broke the tree line.

It was all rather picturesque; if he hadn’t known the circumstances, Sasuke would have assumed it was a proper vacation taking place before him. Aang and Sokka seemed to be playing a game that involved bouncing a rather worn down ball back and forth at waist height without letting it touch the water to the laughter of Suki, Haru and Katara. The massive Chit Sang was shouting all kinds of fouls and penalties, but no one seemed to be paying him any kind and he seemed quite content with that; perhaps this was a more rule driven game than people knew.

Hakoda was standing near Appa, working on some repairs to his saddle while the ever elusive Momo flew in circles around the giant creature, occasionally gliding near enough to have Appa blow out a breath that sent him spiraling away. Near them, under the shade of a tree, Zuko and Mai sat, arms around one another, looking fully content with the situation. Sasuke would never have guessed the latter had just come to confront him only minutes ago. Ty Lee was lying just beyond them, eyes closed as she soaked in the sun’s rays. Sasuke thought again about apologizing, but shrugged it off when he really couldn’t think of what to say.

The only person that avoided Sasuke’s eye was the first person he looked for. But as he looked around at the beach that was entirely devoid of Azula, he was surprised to see both younger people he knew to be Teo and some kid who went by “The Duke” rushing up to him. The Duke made it first as Teo rolled up behind him in his wheelchair and he practically shouted in what was clearly excitement.

“You’re that Sasuke guy!”

Sasuke only stared down at the kid before Toph squeezed his wrist and bumped him with her elbow.

“Yeah, yeah that’d… be me.”

Teo too was grinning something fierce. “They’re going to write stories about you, you know. The only person other than the Avatar who could wield not just two, but _all_ of the elements. How you broke into the Royal Palace and escaped by summoning a _lightning dragon_ or something… “

The Duke nodded enthusiastically. “Or how you managed to single-handedly to take down _the_ General Ako and force him to retreat!”

Toph raised her free hand. “Please, please, give the local celebrity a chance to breathe, he’s had a hard couple of days.”

The pair of them stepped back, not speaking but still smiling widely. Sasuke found he could only stare at them, though.

_That was… unexpected._

But then, he had barely spoken a word to either of them or interacted with them beyond his initial introduction to the group the first day he had arrived. Whatever they knew of him was nothing more than hearsay of his exploits, and he was finding it difficult to believe that any one of his companions would have spoke about him in any sort of flattering manner.

As he pulled his gaze from the two, he saw that attention, unfortunately, had moved his way. Though no one stopped what they were doing, anyone Sasuke looked at he found looking back, though they were quick to turn their attention away. Katara was the only one who didn’t immediately break eye contact and instead fixed with an intense expression, which wasn’t particularly pleasant, but was better than the usual hatred she reserved for him.

Sasuke was just about to ask Toph where Azula was when she gave a short scream and jumped away from him. A moment later a colossal amount of water came crashing down on his head, dousing him from head to toe with a roar. The water splashed away onto the beach, soaking into the sand and darkening it and Sasuke stood poker-straight, utterly stunned.

“Hahaha, I’d call that pretty wet, wouldn’t you, Sokka?”

“Hilarious, Aang; you’re right, when it happens to someone else, it _is_ funny!”

He looked over to see Aang hovering on a sphere of air a dozen feet above the water surface, pointing and laughing. Sokka too was fighting back hearty snickers as the two of them looked at Sasuke’s damp form. Sasuke realized then that he had just been the victim of a practical joke, Aang must have simply smashed him with a healthy dose of ocean water for fun.

He wasn’t sure if he was furious or amused.

Maybe both.

Looking around, he saw that now everyone was indeed looking at him with no reservation this time. Katara had a hand over her mouth with her eyes wide, with Suki and Toph both with mouths agape. The Duke and Teo were both laughing and Haru looked like he wanted to join in but could read the group well enough to know that might not have been the best idea. Ty Lee had half-sat up and was watching Sasuke carefully while Mai and Zuko watched from under their shade, their grips on one another looking doubled. Hakoda and Chit Sang were both looking as bemused as Sasuke had just felt and as he looked on, the last member of their party walked out from behind some trees near Zuko and Mai.

Azula had put on a swimsuit of her own, though she looked none too pleased about it. Her hair fell over her shoulders and back, no longer done up in the traditional noble style he had seen before. Her eyes remained fierce, but looked almost embarrassed as though this truly wasn’t something she wanted to be involved in or seen as being a part of.

It wasn’t until she met his eyes that Sasuke realized he was staring.

Azula seemed to do a double take when she saw the state of him, soaked from head to toe, her eyes widening and brow furrowing. For a moment, Sasuke felt a rush of humiliation in his gut begin to twist into anger again. Then, he breathed it out and shook his head.

“No…” he said audibly before making several quick hand signs. A great tidal wave of water rose up behind Aang and Sokka and fell over them with a crash; Aang was knocked out of the air and splashed next to Sokka who was knocked ass first into the air briefly by the force of it. As the water settled, both their heads popped up, sputtering and coughing, and looking to him in surprise.

“ _That_ was funny,” Sasuke finished.

They stared at him for a moment before Aang laughed and adopted a challenging look, summoning up more water behind him. Sokka began to scramble away towards the beach, yelling something about not wanting to become an unnecessary casualty and Toph shrieked as Sasuke readied his Water Release form again, promising nothing but cold-blooded revenge if she happened to be caught up in this.

For the first time, Sasuke found himself utterly unconcerned with what were surely a varied amount of expressions looking at him and as he locked eyes with Aang who grinned aggressively at him, he thought that maybe, just for a little while, he wouldn’t mind a little distraction.

* * *

The game didn’t last for too long as Katara finally butted in and declared the water fight a draw when it was clear that collateral damage was going to become more than likely with Ty Lee scrambling from her spot on the sand and Mai and Zuko running from the shade of their tree as a bad throw from Aang sent a giant wave crashing down near it. Sasuke, who had found that he had to take it easy in order for him to not completely wash Aang out with the tide, found himself almost sad to see the sport end; towards the back half of it, Aang had seemed to be getting a little irked that he hadn’t been able to land any real water damage to Sasuke since his initial hit.

From there, Sasuke had made to retreat back to his clearing in the trees to resume work but found that Toph had quietly moved all the iron she had extracted to a spot near a fallen tree right in the midst of everyone. Her motive was clear, and while now that he had the iron in his possession, it would have been easy to jutsu it away, Sasuke decided to keep playing nice and took a seat on the tree trunk after pulling off his damp shirt and hanging it from a makeshift drying line that Suki had lain between two trees with some vine.

His work seemed to be very immediately interesting to Teo, Haru and the Duke who pulled up some sand nearby to watch him. He was aware of others watching him work and after a while, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Aang and Toph had joined in sitting around what had become a sort of group, striking up various conversations. Sasuke tuned them all out as he focused on his crafting; he had needed to cast several jutsu in order to heat the iron in order to mold it and to cool it once he had formed it into kunai. He was aware that the levitating iron before him that became red hot and twisted and formed into sharp pointed blades was likely very enthralling and even with the unrelated talking going on around him, he was aware that all eyes, save Toph’s, were locked on his work.

While he molded his weapons, he took stock of an interesting interaction taking place by Appa; Hakoda had taken aside Chit Sang and the both of them seemed to be in a tight and heated conversation. Sasuke considered casting a jutsu to intensely enhance his hearing and listen in, but decided against it; if it was important, he was sure he would know about in due time.

His attention turned to inconspicuously watch the Fire Nation members of the group who had noticeably not joined the small commune around Sasuke’s handiwork. His eyes immediately went to Azula who had made off a distance by herself, walking along the tide of the ocean a hundred meters or so away, letting the water wash over her feet. There was something about how she was walking, as though she wasn’t controlling her actions and was just being dragged along by the will of the breeze that tossed her hair gently about. Even from that distance, Sasuke found himself almost looking absently at her lean frame before blinking and turning his gaze elsewhere.

Zuko was standing and looking like he wanted to join in, a distance between the group and Mai and Ty Lee, the both of which were standing near one another and talking quietly. This was a much more tempting conversation to listen in on and Sasuke listened to his gut without a second thought.

Murmuring quietly enough to not be heard, he said, “Enhanced Hearing Technique.”

With a brief moment of effort, he was able to drown out the sounds of the talking around him and heard Ty Lee say in a hiss, “If you don’t want to talk to her, I will. We can’t keep holding off on this just because we’re _scared_ of what she’ll say.”

Mai shook her head and looked distantly towards the ocean. “Ty… maybe we need to let her figure out this for herself.”

Ty Lee looked ready to bite Mai’s head off, but the black-haired girl raised a hand placatingly. “Please just listen. For the first time in her life, she’s getting a chance to think for herself. Maybe we should let her. Don’t you think that she might be able to come to a healthy conclusion on her own?”

Shaking her head in obvious opposition, Ty Lee glared at her friend.

“No, I think that if we give her too much time, something’s going to break and she’ll try to attack Sasuke again, or she’ll try and drag Aang to the capital to make up with her father, or she’ll… I don’t know, but how can we expect her to think rationally when she’s spent her whole life following orders and living as her father’s shadow?!”

Looking perplexed, Mai looked towards the ground, crossing her arms.

“Then, what do you suggest?”

For this, Ty Lee didn’t have a reply and the two of them looked away from one another, clearly consternated in their thoughts.

This was as much as Sasuke was able to listen in on before another development put his eavesdropping on hold. Hakoda walked up with a disgruntled and understanding looking Chit Sang and explained what apparently had been eating at him since they left.

To the east, he explained, there was a deployment of Water Nation and Earth Nation forces, some of which he had served alongside in the war. It was his intention to take Chit Sang, Haru, Teo and the Duke there where they could be safe and useful in a different capacity. This had broken out into a full-fledged argument, mostly between Hakoda, Katara and Sokka. Haru and Teo looked sad, but resigned to the idea and while the Duke looked fully ready to argue that he wanted to stay, he seemed to read the situation well enough to keep quiet. Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee gravitated over that way to find out what all the ruckus was about and Sasuke tried to avoid the conversation while he continued forging his kunai. No one would put much stock in his opinion after all.

Eventually, Hakoda seemed to force down some tough love on his children with a statement that was as damning and unbeatable as an argument could be.

“We all have our parts to play. Destiny has called on you to perform deeds different than my own. The Avatar needs you and my soldiers need me.”

It struck Sasuke then just how much the concept of fate factored into the decision making happening around him. In his head, a parent would never allow their children to take stake in enemy territory, with dangerous people, to be potentially put in certain danger, but it was clear that just like that prophecy that foretold Aang would be the one to take down Ozai and restore peace, Hakoda believed very firmly that his children’s place was here and his elsewhere.

Without really a clear resolution to the argument itself, Hakoda seemed to get his way. He took Katara and Sokka aside for a few minutes while Chit Sang ordered Haru, Teo and the Duke to gather their things. Sasuke found himself grateful for fact they would be lightening their load by five people; the more of them there were, the more likely there was the possibility that something could go wrong. And as clearly out of their league as the younger of them were, it made sense to send them off to somewhere safer. He didn’t pay much mind as goodbyes were said that afternoon, but he did look up to shake the hands of Hakoda and Chit Sang as they made their rounds.

“Please look after everyone, not just my children,” Hakoda asked in a low voice as his rough hand shook Sasuke’s.

 _Yeah, how could I resist protecting such pleasant people,_ Sasuke thought with a mental eye roll, but he only gave a nod in reply.

Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee stood a distance away, watching the communal farewell take place and as Sasuke watched them, he looked down the beach for Azula. He found that he couldn’t see her walking along with the tide any longer and he glanced in every direction trying to spot her.

_Whatever. If it was something to worry about, Ty Lee or someone would have freaked about it by now._

He placed what was the ninth kunai he had made in the steadily growing stack next to him and looked back forward to see the Duke standing in front of him, looking like he had something to say. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, “Don’t think we know each other well enough to warrant this, kid.”

The Duke seemed to bite his tongue before saying in a low voice as though worried he might be overheard.

“I just wanted to say I think you’re super cool and I’m going to tell everyone I can about you.”

A ghost of smile crossed his face. “You kind of remind me of someone I used to know. You don’t really act like him, but he did what he thought was right, no matter what.”

He kicked the sand, looking a little embarrassed.

“So, thanks for doing your part to help win this, we always have needed strong people like you.”

Sasuke stared at the kid, feeling an almost pitying pull in his gut before he sighed and got to his feet. He looked around and saw that most attention was being devoted to loading up Appa with the belongings of those who were departing; he did catch Katara watching him closely, though she looked away as soon as he met her eyes.

“This war is far from over, Duke,” Sasuke said darkly. “By its end, I have a feeling you won’t be thanking me.”

He left it there and the Duke only fixed with him with a look of confusion before walking off without another word to join his companions. A few minutes later, Appa took off into the sky towards the east with Sokka aboard as well, to guide the flying bison back to the island after his human cargo had been brought to relative safety.

As Aang, Suki, Katara and Toph stood by and watched Appa leave, Sasuke was surprised to find that the others who had avoided the departing procedures walking over. While Mai and Ty Lee sat on the log furthest from him, Zuko sat down in the sand just to the right of Sasuke’s pile of iron he was drawing from to work on his kunai.

Zuko watched him work for a little while before asking, “How many of those do you think you’ll need?”

Replying without looking up, Sasuke said flatly, “It’s not about how many I think I’ll need, it’s about _knowing_ how many I’ll need and making at least double that.”

That was as far as they got by way of conversation and a minute or so later, the rest of the group rejoined them. Toph seemed to have no trouble sitting relatively close to the Fire Nation women and Aang made to join her, but Sasuke caught Katara out of the corner of his eye steering him gently away to sit him between Zuko and herself. Suki walked by and nudged the Fire Nation prince in the back.

“Do you think you could get a fire going? It’s getting dark and Sokka had that fish he caught when we got here that I can cook up.”

Zuko gave her a nod as she walked by and within a few moments had a fire going in the center of their small circle. It was as the light of the fire threw the group into a brighter relief that Sasuke realized the sun was dipping below the horizon as night began to fall.

An hour later, Suki brought over the fish she had spoken of and got to work frying them up. It was during this time that Sasuke finished working with the last of his iron and put his twenty-sixth kunai to rest with the others. At Suki’s orders, everyone moved closer to the fire in order to be served their evening portions and it was when Aang, the last to get his dinner, sat down that Azula came out of the trees.

Her hair was damp enough to show that she had indeed gone into the water relatively recently and as she neared the campfire, she nearly froze up as though suddenly having been reminded of where she was and who she was with. Light conversation fell away as everyone regarded her; Sasuke imagined himself where she stood, a complete anomaly to the situation, unwanted and unknown. He might have felt something like pity as she looked around awkwardly at the rest of them.

“Ah, there you are. Your meal, princess.” Suki held out a plate of fish towards Azula who stared at it as though she had just been presented with a bomb. Jerkily, she started walking again to close the dozen or so yards between her and everyone else. She took the plate and gave a strange nod that was as good a thanks as Suki was likely to get. Sasuke felt surprised as she looked around the circle for a place to sit; he would have expected her to take her food and retreat to a safe distance. Ty Lee scooted towards Mai to make room, but then Azula surprised not just Sasuke further, but everyone there by walking over and sitting directly next to him, a foot away from being shoulder to shoulder.

Ty Lee and Mai both looked as though they had bitten off their own tongues as Zuko blinked rapidly. Aang had a piece of fish almost to his tongue and it hung there before his gaping mouth comically. Suki sat down with an expression that said “wow, for real?” next to Toph who was motionless save for her fidgeting feet. Katara was the only one who remained stoic as she looked at Azula and Sasuke with a fierce expression. Sasuke met her eyes for a moment and gave the barest shrug.

_Not my idea._

He gave Azula a sideways glance, but she seemed content to ignore him and began to wolf down her fish as though she hadn’t eaten in days. After several more awkward moments as everyone reveled in the oddity of Azula and Sasuke eating side by side, mealtime talk resumed.

Pushing aside the strangeness of sharing a sitting spot with Azula, Sasuke did his best to focus inward on his own issues as the majority of the air became full of stories swapped between Aang, Zuko and Toph, who all seemed very eager to share their sides of particular stories from when they had supposedly been sworn enemies.

But as Sasuke tried with a deep urge to refocus on Ozai and reclaiming the rest of his past and securing revenge for his brother, he found that the anger and hate that had recently been so accessible was floating just out of reach. Just when he was about to be able to imagine Ozai’s throat beneath his heel, a happy interjection from Aang would pull him from it. And just when he had been near to plotting how best to force words from the Fire Lord’s mouth, a lighthearted cackle from Toph caused him to come blinking from his reverie.

Sasuke sighed. Perhaps it would be better to just go with the current before him for the time being.

He tuned into a story that Zuko was relaying about a detour he had been forced to take during his pursuit of Aang when his uncle had lost a prized lotus tile. Though the voices he had been hearing distantly had been primarily of Aang, Zuko and Toph, Sasuke saw that everyone around the fire seemed to be getting into the recollection; Suki and Katara were looking on, content and amused while Zuko and Aang bounced back and forth, filling in their own details. Sasuke noticed that even Mai and Ty Lee looked like they were reluctantly entertained and it was only Azula who seemed to have no reaction to the stories, though he could tell she, like him, was paying attention.

“…and this is the absolute kicker,” Zuko was saying. “After all that, after everything we went through, Uncle Iroh pulls the tile out of his _sleeve_ and is like, ‘Hey, Prince Zuko, I had it all along! How funny, right?’”

Toph and Aang were half-hysterical at this as Zuko shook his head, smiling.

“I could have killed him then and there.”

Wiping his eye, Aang asked, “And then?”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Then I grabbed that stupid tile and threw it over the waterfall.”

Sasuke chuckled.

It was several seconds of quiet broken only by the crackle of fire that Sasuke realized everyone was once again staring at him in utter disbelief. Even Azula, who had done nothing but chew aggressively since sitting down, had frozen and was half-looking in his direction in silent befuddlement.

“What?” he growled.

It was Toph who managed to ask, her words ripe with astonishment, “You can laugh?”

Sighing, Sasuke set his empty plate on the sand at his feet. “Yes, I can laugh, it really is not so ridiculous a concept.”

Aang shrugged. “Kind of is.”

Not willing to waste breath arguing, Sasuke said nothing back. After a moment, Toph asked another question. “Do _you_ have any funny stories?”

Heaving yet another sigh, Sasuke looked her direction tiredly. “Even if I _did_ have any memories, what makes you think I would have any ‘funny stories’?”

She tilted her head back and forth, considering this.

“Well, you laughed, which means you know what humor is. And if you know what humor is, you must have a funny story of some kind, or even a joke that _proves_ you know how humor _works_.”

He stared at her, mildly perplexed.

“Truly you have a dizzying mental process.”

Toph flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave him a smile. “I try.”

Aang leaned forward from where he was sitting, looking very eager.

“Come on, Sasuke, you have to at least know a joke, or something.”

He turned his annoyed attention to the Avatar then, “No, I do not happen to know any—”

Suddenly, he was able to pull from a memory; it was faint visually, but he remembered what was said as he saw himself at about Toph’s age listening to a joke Itachi had told him when he must have been much younger. The thought sent a pang through his gut as he muttered absently.

“Actually, there is one.”

Toph hopped from where she was sitting to land laying stomach down at his feet, her face propped up on her hands as she smiled widely up at him.

“Let’s hear it, freak.”

Regretting admitting his recollection aloud, Sasuke tried to backpedal. “It’s a longer one, I don’t know if you’d want to hear it.”

Aang dropped down to sit next to where Toph lay, him too smiling broadly. “I’ve got all night.”

Knowing he wouldn’t get any help from anywhere else, Sasuke still looked up and around. Katara was watching him intently, Suki looking his way almost expectantly. Zuko was looking like he was trying hard not to be very interested, as he held Mai’s hand; she looked cautiously curious next to Ty Lee, who looked more doubtful than anything.

Sasuke looked to his left to look at Azula, who still wasn’t willing to look at him.

“How about it, your highness? Mind if I tell a joke?”

He wasn’t expecting his provocation to get a response, but to his surprise, Azula said quietly, “I’d rather you didn’t call me that.”

Sasuke looked inquisitively her way and she turned ever so slightly, eyes downcast.

“What would you rather?” he asked.

She tightened her lips momentarily.

“My name.”

Partially stupefied by not just this admittance, but that she also had let it out in front of everyone else, Sasuke inclined his head.

“Okay, Azula. A joke?”

She looked away again.

“If you must.”

Putting his hands on his knees, Sasuke took a deep breath and straightened his back as he looked around at his small audience. It was hard to keep himself from at least smirking as he remembered this particular joke’s punchline.

“Once there lived a wealthy nobleman and his wife. They were very successful and very happy, and the fruits of their hard work and accomplishment led them to have their first child, a baby boy whom they were very proud of.”

“As the years passed, the nobleman realized that his son wasn’t like most other children, but he was polite, kind and behaved himself, so his strangeness was hardly a qualm. On his son’s tenth birthday the nobleman asked, ‘Son, what would you like for your birthday?’ He expected to hear a request for a dog, or an expensive archery set, or a massive playset, or perhaps a treehouse, but his son only looked at him and said, ‘Father, all I can really ask for are ten pink polo balls.’ Surprised, but nevertheless intent on pleasing his son, the nobleman complied. His son was thrilled, but the next day after he had received his strange gift, the pink polo balls were nowhere to be found.”

“The years passed and each birthday his son celebrated he would ask for the same thing. The only difference being that he would ask for a larger amount each year; eleven pink polo balls on his eleventh birthday, twelve on his twelfth birthday, and so forth and the nobleman complied each time. And every day following, the pink polo balls would be gone, as if they had never existed. The nobleman would inquire why his son wanted the pink polo balls and what he did with them, but he never received an answer. On his son’s sixteenth birthday, the nobleman wanted to get his son something very nice, so he went to his son and asked, ‘Son, what would you like for your birthday this year? This is a very important point in your life and I would like to get you something that means something. Perhaps a race horse of your own? Or a boat to sail the coast with?’ But the son looked at him and asked, ‘Father, I’m very grateful you would even be willing to offer me these things, but all I really want, more than anything, are sixteen pink polo balls.’ The nobleman, bewildered still, complied and the next day, all the pink polo balls were gone. He went to his son and asked, ‘What is that happens with those pink polo balls you ask for?’ The son became nervous and asked, ‘Please humor me father, for just a while longer.’”

Sasuke noticed with satisfaction that his telling was pulling in the attention he would have liked. Toph and Aang were looking deeply thoughtful and transfixed on his words while Suki, Katara, Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee were all watching him with furrowed brow, no doubt trying to piece together themselves what the outcome would be. Even Azula, who was still trying to act like she wasn’t paying attention, was looking at the ground with a contemplative glare.

Sasuke continued, “Two years later and his son was on the verge of moving out to begin life for himself. He had chosen an excellent school with which to further his education and with his excellent grades and strong motivation, his parents were very proud. The nobleman wanted to give his son the best gift he could on his eighteenth birthday as he neared this next big step and approached his son about it. ‘Son,’ he said, ‘I want to get you a place of your own for your birthday. Somewhere where you can take this next big step securely and freely. I want to get you your own house, son.’ But the son, looking appreciative and humble, only said, ‘Father, I have had the most perfect childhood, with everything I could every ask for. You and mother have given me everything I could want or need, but as I get ready to move out on my own, I can only ask, please may I just have eighteen pink polo balls.”

“At this, the nobleman finally breaks and becomes upset. ‘Son, I have given you pink polo balls year after year, and every time, they disappear and you refuse to tell me why or how they have vanished. Now, I want to buy you a house and that is what I intend to do.’ So, taking two horses, the nobleman took his son on the road into the city to look for a house.”

“On the ride in, they are attacked by robbers. Their things are stolen, their horses are killed and both the father and the son are stabbed multiple times. As the robbers run off, the nobleman crawls to his son, both of them bleeding and badly injured. He lifts his son’s head and asks through a mouthful of blood, ‘Son… I have to know. What did you do with all those pink polo balls? Why did you want them so badly?’ And the son, struggling to stay conscious, looks up at his father and replies weakly, ‘Well, father… the reason is because… because…’”

The crackle of fire once again became the only noise audible as the dark of night settled over the camp. Sasuke looked around and nearly chuckled again; everyone was looking his way with differing levels of open mouths, widened eyes and expectant stares. Katara, who had either knowingly or unknowingly leaned forward a good several inches, finally snapped, “And??”

Sasuke shrugged. “And the son died. The end.”

For a moment, there was only quiet. Then, one at a time, the members of his audience began to audibly groan, roll their eyes or shoot him dirty looks. Toph shook her head and got up to her knees to lean his way angrily.

“Wait, what?! That’s it?!”

Sasuke nodded. “That’s it.”

Aang, who looked equally betrayed, stood up. “How is that a joke?! That’s not funny!”

Allowing himself to smirk, Sasuke replied, “I don’t know, I’m finding it rather amusing.”

He had to deal with varying levels of annoyance and voiced anger over the next several minutes, but he found that attention to be far more appealing than attention that was directed at him for other, more judgmental reasons. Eventually, Katara was able to move them along as Toph and Aang still seemed ready to attack Sasuke for playing with their emotions to such a degree.

“Okay, okay, so Sasuke’s an asshole,” she said loudly. “I think we can move on from this now, though.”

She looked around.

“Anyone else have a story or joke that actually _has_ a real ending?”

Her eyes flicked to him in annoyance then, but Sasuke saw a softness in her gaze there that he hadn’t expected to see.

_Huh. Who would have thought that crappy joke was what I needed to loosen her up to me._

Of all people, it was Ty Lee who spoke up reluctantly. “Well… we burned down a summer home during a party a few weeks back.”

She pointed into the dark of night. “Just one island over as a matter of fact.”

Suki sighed. “Can you people go anywhere without destroying something?”

Mai came to her friend’s defense.

“To be fair, they were kind of asking for it.”

She looked at Zuko who gave her a pained look.

“Sort of,” she clarified, none too helpfully.

From there, she, Ty Lee and Zuko launched into the tale of a vacation they had taken themselves on some of the more populated beaches, beaches that they would likely be visiting shortly in pursuit of the Fire Lord’s advisor. Even Sasuke had to admit that imagining the three of them, plus Azula, taking on some easygoing vacationers in volleyball was quite the comical prospect.

But as he listened in to this tale, the hairs on the back of his neck began to rise.

“I really, seriously couldn’t get these guys off me, even after that,” Ty Lee was saying. Her attitude towards Sasuke seemed to have diminished or at least been pushed to the wayside as she recounted her side of the tale.

“You wore the skimpiest outfit and are a sucker for attention, how did you think that was gonna go?” Mai asked flatly, earning laughter from Katara and Suki. Ty Lee turned her palms face up sheepishly.

“Well, when you’re so used to the spotlight that you sort of just—”

Sasuke put up a hand.

“Quiet.”

As eyes turned to him after his abrupt interruption, Ty Lee’s face returned to the usual disdain he would have expected her to regard him with as her voice snapped with sarcasm. “Oh, I’m sorry, is this a little too girly for you?”

From where she was sitting on the ground, Toph spoke quietly. “No, listen to him.”

At Toph’s words, everyone quieted for several long moments before Katara asked gently, but purposefully.

“What is it, Toph?”

The blind girl gave no immediate response, but said after several seconds. “There’s gotta be, say, thirty at least. The sand makes it hard to tell.”

Sasuke shook his head.

“Double that. They’re in the trees too.”

Suki leaned forward, hissing. “Who??”

Sasuke didn’t reply. The campfire they were sitting around had suddenly made their position feel incredibly naked. It was the only light as far as the eye could see as night had fallen above. The ocean was a black void to his back and in front of him, the treeline was an invisible, black mass of impending and encroaching hostility. To anyone else, it would have appeared as just that, a black looming shape, but as Sasuke’s Sharingan flared to life, he knew far better.

Dozens of figures were standing amongst the trees and in them, silent and staring. They had arrived very quickly en masse; Toph had been able to sense many of them, but Sasuke’s enhanced sight could seem them as they peered at the small group around the fire.

“Natives?” Aang asked quietly, his voice shaking. Sasuke could practically feel his fear.

“If so, what do they want?” Katara asked. Sasuke would have expected Mai or Zuko to reply, but it was Azula who spoke up, a rare sound that night.

“There were always rumors from the inlands of these islands that cannibals and savage tribes roamed deep within the trees, but they were dismissed as rumors.”

“You might be wanting to reconsider that,” Toph muttered.

Ty Lee’s voice was low and measured, but there was fear in her tone too. “What do we do? We can’t fight them all, or run; Sokka’s still gone with Appa.”

Suki’s voice was the calculated tone of a warrior.

“If we knew if any of them were benders, that would be very helpful… otherwise, I think our best bet is to retreat to the ocean. Katara and Aang can put up a barrier of water around us until we can at least figure out better what we’re dealing with.”

Her plan was met with general murmured consensus as everyone tried not to look towards the trees, at least until Sasuke said in a sharp, straightforward tone a single word.

“No.”

As eyes turned his way, he growled. “I know you all hate what I am. But I’m stronger than any coward watching us in from those woods. I’ve been _getting_ stronger since I woke up in that prison. I’m getting stronger still.”

His eyes flashed red.

“And I’m done running.”

He stood up, picking up his sword. At once, there was a twang and a hiss and as his Sharingan took over, he swiped out with a hand to his left.

Caught in his hand was an arrow with a wicked and pointed barb. Had he not caught it as it had come slinging out of the darkness, it would have embedded itself in Azula’s throat. Her eyes were wide as her hand moved almost involuntarily to clasp at the skin on her neck, but to Sasuke, things were very apparent. Whoever these people were who were staring at them from the cover of night, they had just tried to kill one of their number. That was no sleep dart he held, or bola meant to ensnare someone. Someone had just tried to kill Azula without a word or warning.

That was all Sasuke needed to know.

With a few tight, brisk hand seals, he gestured in a sweeping motion towards the woods. All at once, a towering wall of flame spread in a brilliantly bright blaze that extended for dozens upon dozens of meters from deeper in the trees, walling in the layer of trees closest to the beach. And in the light that suddenly made the beach glow as bright as the falling burn of sunset, Sasuke could see them.

They looked around in a panic, dropping from the trees or swinging about them, the ones on the ground jumping around, waving their bows, clubs and other manner of weapon in a frenzy. It was clear quickly to him that they were not there to talk or exchange peace; that firing of a bow on Azula had been no accident. These island inhabitants, naked but for spots of armor and loincloths, were there to kill them, capture them, or worse.

And Sasuke couldn’t have been more pleased by the turn of events.

A fire had come alive in his chest, suddenly unlocked by the precipitous threat that had come before him. The hate and fury that had recently been outside his reach had fallen into his hands, clasped and crushed by his pounding heart. He hadn’t lied about his strength; his power, his energy was growing drastically even just as the hours passed.

_If I weren’t here… what would become of everyone? Tortured, killed, cannibalized?_

As he unsheathed his sword and began to stalk towards the small army that was preparing to bear down on him, he looked back and met Katara’s eyes. Her eyes no longer held that expected spark of hauteur that she commonly regarded him with, but they now flashed with fear as the light of his fire danced over her face. He made sure she could see his Sharingan that smoldered like the ire in his heart.

_You said you were scared of me. That you knew I was dangerous._

He turned back to the savages before him as they screamed furiously as one, a cacophonous, overpowering sound as the fire burned behind them, leaving them nowhere to go but to Sasuke or the flames..

_You’re scared of me, Katara? I’m about to give you a damn good reason to be._


	11. Chapter 11

** Chapter 11: Hurt **

It was after a couple dozen that Sasuke stopped trying to count. Not as though he couldn’t have kept track with the ease he cut through the attackers, but quantifying his actions felt almost counterproductive to the absolute delight it was giving him.

They had stopped trying to rally and make a move on him and had simply begun to scatter, their bows and swords dropped in their frenzy to try and escape the whirling realization of Sasuke’s pent-up anger. He would have had no idea just how much he had been keeping bottled and beneath the surface, but as the world very much seemed to slow down for him as he hacked and sliced away, the relief was nearly palpable. His anger at not knowing, his anger at Katara and the others for how they had treated him, his anger with Ozai and those who had condemned his people and most heavily, his anger at himself, all of this washed out of him in a monstrous wave of carnage that traveled everywhere his blade pointed.

He would have thought that their utter lack of putting up a fight would discourage him, but it only really added a layer to how he viewed them, how he perceived the lives he was taking. They were just boxes to be checked, and without any resistance, he flew down the list; his sword flashed through a chest here, sliced off an arm there, whipped across a neck to his left and slashed open torsos on his right. He wouldn’t be stopped and he couldn’t be stopped, his desire became reality as he eradicated the entire hunting party that had been preparing to attack their small group.

_If I had made my own camp off in the trees… would any of them have been hurt? Killed?_

For some reason, this very thought redoubled his aggression and as he found that his sword was actually dulling from all of the armor, bone and flesh it was carving through, he cast a Fire Release jutsu that drove his blade near to a melting point. Now, it burned through his adversaries more than cut, as he swung his weapon and felt it pass through them as though he were swinging it against water.

He hadn’t lied, not remotely, when he had told the others he was getting stronger. His power was growing and now he was finally able to put this growth to the test. And it made things all too easy.

It was only distantly that he realized he had tracks of tears streaking his cheeks.

* * *

Katara watched alongside everyone else as the glow of Sasuke’s wall of fire lit the entire beach front in an orangish hue, casting strange spectral glows on the ocean just beyond. She had gathered herself to the point where all she would need do is flick her wrist to either smash the area in front of her with a cascade of water, or create a defensive barrier of the same. She hoped very badly she wouldn’t have to use either, but as she watched Sasuke, she wondered if that was nothing really more than wishful thinking.

He was an unyielding force, an irrepressible demon that wove his way through the trees and natives with all the mercy of a blizzard. From what she was able to tell, their would-be attackers were indeed local inhabitants of the island, perhaps some hidden tribe that made their home amongst the trees. And while they had indeed conducted some hardly acceptable behavior in silently congregating just beyond sight of the group and fired an arrow that had nearly pierced Azula, Sasuke’s handling of the situation was hardly to her liking.

Liking be damned, it was downright disturbing. Katara’s gut was in excruciating pain as she witnessed what Sasuke was actually capable of. He had been holding back against Azula, there was no question; had he wanted, her neck could have been snapped in the blink of an eye.

She saw no sign of him triggering any of his impossible abilities save for the fire he had conjured behind the natives which she now realized he had done preemptively, not just to grant sight to the situation, but to keep them from running. Nonetheless, she was able to catch sight of his face in distant flashes as he swung and moved about them in a frenzy; his eyes were aglow with the scarlet light she had seen before and there was a sinister grin that stretched his mouth to the limit. She had seen Sasuke smile only a few times, and they weren’t always genuine, but Katara could tell that this look was not only malicious in nature, but truly truthful as well.

Sasuke was enjoying this, and he was enjoying it immensely.

She had found herself gravitating in front of everyone to ensure that she was the nearest of them all to the carnage taking place a few dozen yards away. When he was finished, she had no way of knowing if this state he was in would end when the last of the natives were killed, his likely distorted mentality might very well decide that all denizens of the beach ought to be slain before coming to a halt. And for the most part, everyone in the group had been more than happy to stay as far from Sasuke as they could manage.

Katara had risked glances at each of them to make sure they weren’t planning on trying to stop him. Suki had the most reassuring expression on her face; the look she was giving the slaughter in front of her was one of measured acceptance, the true guise of a warrior. The rest of them weren’t so encouraging.

It was almost like the Agni Kai all over again, but if those emotions had been stretched and warped tenfold. Aang had dropped to his knees, but his eyes were fixed on the whole affair, his face as white as a sheet. Zuko had a hand on Mai’s shoulder and the both of them looked thoroughly sickened. Ty Lee, who had always been able to adopt a wholehearted disdainful look on the behalf of Sasuke had abandoned that pretense, but her face looked to Katara to be almost in awe as much as horrified, almost as though she didn’t know what emotion to feel to coincide with her amazement.

Toph had her head turned towards the ground and was rocking back and forth and though Katara couldn’t tell from the black hair that shrouded her face, the shaking she was putting forth could very well have been the result of restrained sobbing. Katara knew that Toph and Sasuke had hit it off exceptionally better than anyone else, but with the display she was currently witnessing, it was impossible not to feel completely horrified that they had spent as much time together as they had; what if Sasuke had done something to her?

But of them all, Azula worried Katara the most. She had stepped up to nearly pass her in relative distance to Sasuke and the expression on her face was not one of horror, or nausea, or fear as Katara would have expected to see on anyone, including her.

Azula looked, more than anything, exhilarated.

* * *

Sasuke truly believed that he could have kept at it forever, but as the cries and bodies dwindled around him, he began to slowly become back in touch with reality, as though he were gradually pulling himself from a dream he was aware he was having. He was barely even able to register the bodies that he had strewn out all around him, unmoving and sprawled in various positions as he looked for the last remaining men who opposed him.

But as he turned to look around for his final victims, he saw only a single man, one who was wearing only a loincloth, shoulderpads and a wide-eyed expression. Sasuke could tell that he was more scared than anything, but there was a fierce determination in his eyes that almost seemed to undermine it. He began towards the man, his sword’s tip dragging along the ground as he did.

To his surprise, it was the man who made the first move; howling like a banshee, he picked up a spear from a fallen comrade and exploded into a sprint towards Sasuke and kicked off the body of one of his own dead brothers in arms to try and bring a thrust rushing towards his enemy’s head. Sasuke saw this all in what was essentially slow motion; his Sharingan turned the man’s movements into that of a tortoise wading through mud and it was all too simple to tell what was about to be attempted. But as the man leapt through the air towards him, Sasuke’s boredom with the simplicity of the attack drew him to look past the man. He saw his companions all looking on in various states of horror and he took particular pleasure at the intense unsettledness that was plastered on Katara’s visage. But he closed out all else when he saw the woman next to her.

Azula’s eyes were wide, but there was a fire burning in them that spoke of hunger and furor. Her mouth was slightly agape and had she closed it, it may have become a smile. Her breathing was deep and seemed to shake as her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides.

As he looked at Azula’s utter elation, Sasuke couldn’t help but fall out of his violent trance. Suddenly, he realized he was surrounded by dead men and was about to be attacked by the last of their number. With no real interest, he reached out and grabbed the spear, raised it and whipped it around, hurling the man from the treeline to come crashing onto the beach between him and the group. Doing his best not to look at Azula, he stalked out towards the final native, extinguishing the fire behind him with a wave of his hand; it suddenly occurred to him that he would really rather not have anyone witness what had become of the others of this man’s company.

He slowed as he saw everyone collectively seem to move back, save for Azula, Katara and Toph. The first two kept their eyes on him, both with very distinctly different expressions painting their face, but Toph was another story entirely. She seemed to be trying to clench her body as tightly as she could and was trying not to shudder with the pressure she was putting on it. Her face was turned towards the ground and Sasuke couldn’t tell her expression. He actually took a step in her direction to ask if she was alright, before the man at his feet rolled over and produced a knife, whipping it towards Sasuke’s face.

He batted it out of the air with ease and it spiraled away to bury itself in the sand and Sasuke pulled back a foot and pressed the man to the ground on his chest. Dragging his blade through the sleeve of his elbow to clean it, he glared down at the sole survivor.

“Why did you attack us?” he asked. It was as simple a question as he could ask, and he was hoping for a simple answer. As he looked down, he realized that the man couldn’t have been much older than him, a young adult but one who’s eyes glowed with the maturity and damage of war. His expression was one of pure pain and hatred as he spit up at Sasuke furiously.

“You protect these people?! They’ve done nothing but bring pain and destruction to all nations everywhere, not just my own!!”

His shaking hand directed towards Azula. “Her! She came to my village over a year ago with a war party! My people offered her peace, but she tore apart our homes, our village in pursuit of an artifact that we later learned wasn’t even there in the first place! I watched her myself as she burned down my older sister who tried to stop her! And you know why they wanted that artifact?! Because it made a nice decoration in her palace!”

His hateful eyes now shone with tears.

“Her people sow destruction everywhere they go! We were to take revenge and also ensure she would never hurt anyone the same way she hurt my people ever again! And you!”

His hand turned to point at Sasuke, shaking even more violently now.

“You killed us all! Without a word! Half the men from my village, dead by your sword! Are you a demon in her employ?! Or are you just another of the Fire Nation’s savage butchers?!”

Sasuke couldn’t help but feel distantly impressed by the man’s defiance in the face of what he had just experienced. He was utterly at his mercy, but there was no fear, no begging, just pure and continued opposition.

Regarding the man beneath his foot, Sasuke spoke plainly. “You could have approached us. Informed us of your grievances since you clearly only know her and none of us. But instead you attempted to strike from the shadows as cowards though you numbered many. You made to kill someone I know and am traveling with, and I cut you all down for it. You brought this upon yourselves.”

To this, the man only screamed in ire up at him, spittle flying from his mouth. Already understanding the entirety of what had just transpired, Sasuke pulled back his sword to put down the last of the attackers, but stopped at a shout from Katara.

“Stop!!”

He did so and looked to her questioningly. By the look on her face, he could tell she had much she wanted to say, or at the very least, there was much she felt towards him in that moment, but she only silently gestured to Toph. Sasuke followed her pointing and finger and let a long sigh pass through his nostrils. He looked down at the man.

“You will return to your people. You will leave us be. You will not seek further revenge.”

Letting his command sink in for several ticking seconds, he then pulled his foot up and off the man. The native stared up at him, panting heavily. For a while, he stayed on the ground as though not able to believe he had been spared before finally pushing himself slowly to his feet. From there, he stared at Sasuke for several more long seconds. He then whirled on his heel and raced towards Azula, hands outstretched for her throat.

Sasuke slashed him across the back and the man collapsed without a word, the final one to the count.

With a pained cry, Toph turned and fled into the dark away from the beach. Sasuke realized the only light was once again coming from the campfire as he watched her flee; Aang raised a hand as if to call her back, but stopped and bent over, throwing up onto the sand. Looking at the kid, Sasuke grunted out a single, “Sorry.”

Katara’s eyes were as hot and burning as the fire he had summoned had been, but she didn’t scream at him like he expected, didn’t threaten him or demand he leave. She simply gave him a furious and, strangely enough, sad look before turning to kneel next to Aang to offer him comfort.

From there, it became just another mirrored scene that Sasuke had seen before. Everyone else looked at him with restrained fear until he looked to them and they turned their gaze away. Azula seemed to have come off whatever state she had been in and she too turned away, suddenly looking very self-conscious. Not able to stand their eyes any longer, Sasuke turned and marched after Toph. He expected to be followed or at the very least, to be stopped from following her, but no one said a word or made a movement.

 _Cowards,_ he thought angrily.

As his eyes adjusted back the dark, he saw that Toph hadn’t gone very far. Near the water’s edge, she had pulled herself onto a slab of a rock and was sitting on it, her face directed out towards the ocean as a slow and gentle tide lapped at her feet. And as he approached her, Sasuke realized he didn’t know what quite to say.

“Are you alright?” he settled on. He tried to make out her face in the semidarkness, but to no avail. She didn’t answer him; Sasuke thought about sitting next to her but figured that may not be the best idea. Opting instead to be as passive aggressively insistent as he might expect her to be had their roles been reversed, he moseyed over the rock and sat down in the sand, leaning against the rock. Above him and to the right, he heard her shift slightly on the rock before the only sound between them became the gentle roar of the tide.

It was minutes before she asked him, “If I ask you something, will you be honest with me?”

“Of course," he said and before the words had even faded into the night, she practically blurted out.

“Did you enjoy killing those people?”

Sasuke immediately regretted promising his honesty. How could he explain to Toph what it felt like to be in the midst of what he had just experienced, the thrill of the blade and the savage satisfaction he had taken in cutting down those who would have killed them all given the chance? How could he even try? This wasn’t a situation he could win, and he couldn’t expect her to understand.

Before he could reply, she continued on, words falling out of her mouth as though they had been held in by a dam that had just broken.

“I could feel how you were moving, how deliberate everything about that was. It wasn't like when I’ve felt Sokka killing people with his sword; the way he moves is tight, almost like he's hating having to put it through them. But you… it’s like you're… you're…”

“Like I’m what?” Sasuke asked. He practically felt Toph shiver as she replied.

“Like you're _dancing._ I don’t know what to think of that.”

Sasuke considered this and decided to try for something like damage control. “I did what I had to do. They would have tried to kill us all and I had to deal with them before they went on the offensive, it would have been hard to protect you all if they had gone and—”

Rock erupted out of the ground on his left and right, smashing down just next to him hard enough for the ground to be smashed to dust. Cursing, Sasuke leapt to his feet and turned to see Toph standing now, hands raised and clearly levitating great missiles of rock ready to set loose.

“How much protection do you think we need, Sasuke?! You think we can't look after ourselves?!”

Realizing just how out of control this had suddenly gotten, Sasuke put up both of his hands slowly, though every part of his instincts were howling at him to prepare for attack.

“I didn’t mean to imply that. I just saw the moment to defend myself and all of you and I did so.”

Far from calm her down, his words only seemed to further enrage Toph, and she pointed at him accusatorily. “No, you saw a chance to vent and let out all that hate you’ve been biding since you showed up! Those men were _nothing_ we couldn’t deal with, they didn’t have anything more than bows and swords, for shit's sake!”

The fishing boat sized rocks hovered ominously on either side of her.

“C'mon, Sasuke, let me know, how many of those men did you imagine as Katara?! As Ty Lee or me?! How many times did you wish you could just be cutting us down instead?!”

As her words rocketed loudly at him, Sasuke finally noticed what this came down to as, through her shouting, he heard her voice shake. She was definitely angry, she was definitely indignant, but more so than anything else, she was terrified.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Toph,” he said as calmly as he could. He found that it strangely hurt to think that she was so sure that he might.

“I didn't… you don't…” she sputtered out and he saw her hands shake from where they were raised. He pushed onward, hoping to shut her down before this got out of hand and he had to exchange blows.

“I don't blame any of you for being frightened of me, or hating me for what I am. But while there have been those who have let that rule their thoughts towards me, don’t think I haven’t noticed how hard you’ve tried with me.”

She said nothing to this and he took this as nothing short of encouraging.

“I won't deny the thrill that battle isn’t something that…”

_Excites me._

“…has a certain pull on me, but it will never be directed at you, or any of the others, not after Azula.”

He knew that this was a lie, as he couldn’t be sure that he wouldn't come to a head with any of the others, and if Toph was as smart as he thought she was, she probably figured this. But Sasuke knew he had told one absolute truth amongst his attempt at reassuring words. He had no desire to hurt Toph.

He felt a sudden urge and acted upon it almost without thinking. Within the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of Toph, reaching out towards her. He felt her tense up as she sucked in a tight and fearful breath, arms pulling back to strike him with her drawn up rocks. Sasuke put all his hope in the bet that this would work.

With this pointer and middle finger, he poked her in the forehead.

It had been almost a primal urge for him to act this way and he waited to see if Toph would strike him with the boulders regardless. But he only felt her shaky breathing and after a moment, the stone she had pulled from the ground crashed down on either side of them with earsplitting thuds and her arms fell to her side. He looked down at her as she continued to shudder gently before she slowly reached out herself and punched him weakly in the stomach.

“I hated that so much… so much. Do you know what that feels like for someone like me?”

“I don't,” Sasuke said truthfully. Toph pulled in a great breath and hiccupped.

“I can't see what’s happening. But when people die… I know. I feel the bodies fall to the ground, totally still except the ones that twitch or try to hang on for a few seconds. But they all eventually stop moving, and I feel that. And all I can know is that someone else is dead, some other life was just snuffed out. Do you know how many you killed back there?”

Not sure, Sasuke tilted his head slightly as he thought back, trying to estimate a number. “I’m not sure, probably something like four dozen maybe…”

“Sixty-seven. That’s how many people you killed just now.”

_Sixty-seven._

She had given a number to his crime, labeled his failure. For he knew that was what it was. He could have just as easily immobilized the entire lot of them with minimal effort, but he had indulged and allowed his own frustration to move him forward. And he had enjoyed it. Oh, how he had enjoyed it.

“I don’t suppose you can promise me not to kill any more people,” Toph muttered with a massive sniff as she wiped what must have been a tear from her cheek.

“No, I cannot.”

She nodded in miserable resignation and he moved a hand to her shoulder.

“But I can promise to be more controlled going forward. For you.”

_Liar._

He couldn't tell if Toph thought the same, but she didn’t address it.

“Okay, Sasuke,” was all she said.

Feeling satisfied that he had at least calmed her down and she had been able to speak her peace, Sasuke turned to leave her, before one of her small hands grabbed one of his.

“Can you stay? Just for a bit?”

He looked back to see her continuing to look mildly distressed. Turning his gaze back towards the campfire in the distance, he could see several forms pointed his way, surely trying to decide if they should find out what was happening between him and Toph.

“Sure.”

Almost with the air of a toddler with an attitude, she pulled him down to sit next to her on the rock and leaned her head on his shoulder aggressively enough that it was almost like she was worried he would leave if she didn’t. He was reminded of her resting her head on his legs days ago on the airship as he tried with every bit of his will to let the bloodlust flow out of him.

He found shortly that even despite the drastically different situations, it was just as easy to relax when it was just the two of them.

* * *

Under the veil of stars above, Obito did his best to remain attentive. But as his tired eyes dictated, dozing off on the back of his mount was nothing if not easy.

When they had awoken the previous morning, they had gotten an early start and made it through the day riding with minimal breaks, but as evening fell, Iroh began to fret.

“The wind is worrying,” he had said. “When it blows this way, it’s always a sign of a hot and arid day following. If we want to ease our travels, we should travel through as much of the night as we can.”

Obito had initially been perfectly fine with this idea, but as he neared his twenty four hours of nearly nonstop riding, the wear was beginning to set in. And though the last thing he wanted to do was complain, it wasn't difficult to air at least some of his complaints.

“Weren't we supposed to have least been able to see the city walls by now?” he grunted irritably. Ever the composed soul, Iroh looked back with a smile that was just visible under starlight.

“I imagine by the rising of the sun, we will see the city. From there, we should reach its limits by early afternoon.”

Sighing, Obito hiked up his travel cloak slightly further to warm him against the cool, swirling breeze of the night. “You can't tell me you’re not even a little tired, old man.”

Iroh laughed, “Even if I were, a tired body means a healthy mind.”

Staring flatly at the old man, Obito muttered, “Always with the words of wisdom. Anything in that mental library about not wanting to drop kick traveling companions who suggest riding for twenty four straight hours?”

Seeming to spend a moment thinking about this, Iron finally shrugged as he looked back.

“Respect your elders?”

They continued riding for another hour and Obito found that despite the discomfort of being rocked back and forth while riding, he was tired enough that he was actually able to doze off. Or at least he was trying to, before a massive chill raced up his spine. He snapped his gaze up and flinched in pain as his eyes ached suddenly; he brought his hands up and clutched temples, wincing audibly at the discomfort. Ahead of him, Iron heard his distress and brought his mount to a stop.

“Obito? Are you well?”

Blinking away the pain, he looked about. “I… don't know. I just had the feeling that we're about to be… I think we're I’m danger.”

He shook his head and put a hand over this right eye. “Either that or I’m just going crazy in some kind of delirious state.”

Iroh seemed to think quite the opposite and he began to scan the dunes around them.

“I don't think so, my young friend,” he intoned, his gaze scanning around swiftly. “Premonitions or just sudden, intense feelings are not something to be so easily brushed aside. Did you feel anything else?”

Collecting himself, Obito tried to think. “No, nothing. Just that feeling, and then my eyes began to hurt.”

He joined Iroh in the silence of the desert, scanning the black horizon for any signs of life or danger. He didn’t know what they might expect to see but after a minute of not being able to detect any movement other than the wisping of sand against the starlight, he shook his head.

“Sorry, Iroh, it's probably just my exhaustion getting to me.”

His companion didn’t look convinced and turned to him. “You're very sure there was nothing else?”

Once more, Obito wracked his mental processes but came up with nothing yet again. “No, there's nothing, just—”

But even as he spoke it, there was a sudden memory that he didn’t feel belonged to him. He was in the night sky, soaring high above the dunes, feeling practically high enough to scrape the stars above. But as he looked down, he could see two forms moving slowly through the desert. They were close, too close and this very consideration was enough to make him very angry.

Grimacing, Obito came back to reality an saw only Iroh looking at him worriedly.

“Are you alright? You saw something else, didn't you?”

Trying to shake off that monstrous feeling that he was someone else, Obito did his best to control his breathing, pulling in gasps of the night air to do so. “I’m not sure, it was more like I was a _part_ of something else rather than remembering or feeling anything, like whatever it was, it didn't—”

He got only that far before there was a great shadow that raised itself behind Iroh. Obito felt his eyes blaze with pain once again; he was moving before he knew it and he leapt towards the old man, tackling him off his mount. As they both fell heavily to the sand, there was a great rush in Obito's gut as he felt a huge shape pass over him, kicking up a gust of wind that roared in his ears. Rolling away, he turned towards the shadow as he drew his sword, but he never would have been able to guess at what he was facing.

As their mounts scattered in a panic, Obito stared a dozen meters away to see what appeared to be an owl, its feet planted in the sand as it stared with massive eyes at him ominously. When traveling from the beach he had awoken on to this point, he had seen a fair few owls, smaller ones, larger ones, but never had he seen or would he have expected to see an owl the size of a small elephant. Its great dark shape was a black shape against the starry horizon as it seemed to size him up and shift its enormous talons in the wispy sand beneath them.

Then, it spoke.

“I can see that you still haven't learned your lesson,” it drawled at him with a pounding, deep voice. “This is not your world, nor yours to do with as you wish. There are no secrets for you here, no mysteries that will lead you to victory where you come from. Though this time you have actually succeeded in passing from your world to ours. And it must be my burden to erase you from it.”

It took seconds for the shock of hearing an abnormally large owl speak for Obito to even think to reply. He turned slightly to see Iroh several feet away, still lying in the sand and looking dazed. Not wanting to put him in harm’s way, he eased himself slowly to the right as he played for time, though his inquiry was as genuine as one could be.

“You’ve seen me before?”

The owl seemed to twitch its head in irritation. “You insult me with feigned ignorance? Your breach of the spirit world was a travesty unlike anything those like I have yet experienced. We were able to expunge you with effort and now you have managed to pass not from yours to the spirit world, but from yours to this world with ease.”

Its talons slices at the sand as curved and sharp as any scimitar. “If you have any final words, I will record them for posterity.”

Trying to rationalize that he may very well be about to battle a giant owl, Obito spoke slowly, hoping that his voice reflected the honesty he was answering with.

“Look, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I am who you think I am. I’m just a traveler trying to get to Ba Sing Se.”

At once, the owl spread its great wings and the voice now seemed to bellow all around him in a fury. “Enough of your lies!! Face the punishment for your interference!!”

Fast as an arrow loosed from a bow, the huge winged shape propelled itself directly at him, sweeping across the sand. Upset it had to come to this, but also unsure of how else he could benefit from this situation, Obito bent his knees and prepared. At once, he felt a gentle soreness from his eyes, not the pain he had been feeling before but a different sense that he realized always came when he was in peril or about to engage in combat.

The owl seemed to slow down immeasurably as it approached him as though it had just entered an invisible pillar of water. Gratified that his unknown abilities seemed to work just fine on monstrous creatures as well as humans, Obito leapt towards the owl and arched over its wing, swinging his sword as he did. It lanced through several feet of the owl’s left wing and the massive animal gave a rumbling howl of pain as it crashed to the ground, sliding as a result of its momentum. Obito landed nimbly several feet from where he had left, feeling strength now wash through his veins as though his adrenaline had just juiced him with a miracle drug that made him invincible. The owl didn’t seem like such a frightening obstacle now; rather, it was like those soldiers back at the port market. It was just an oversized bully sticking its nose into other people’s business.

And as Obito reminded himself of Iroh who still lay barely stirring, he let himself get a little mad.

The owl righted itself and seemed to test the soundness of its wing before glaring back his direction, pearly black eyes glistening in the light of the stars. Obito readied himself for another rush, picking out the places he imagined would be the most damaging to strike at.

It was then that his head lit up with pain, and the world suddenly seemed to glow very bright, but it was as though this light was coming from behind his own eyes. He felt the distant feeling of dropping to the ground, very utterly helpless as the pain screamed through his brain, scrambling his senses and putting him in an entirely vulnerable state. In a blur, he saw the shape of the owl bearing down on him and he could barely raise his sword.

Through the foggy veil that had become his vision, he saw the orange glow of fire erupt in front of him and the owl broke off in its charge, flapping its wings in surprise at the incursion. From there, Obito’s eyes fell shut and the last thing he heard before he lapsed into unconsciousness were distant voices, mumbling a conversation that his ringing ears couldn’t hope to hear.

The next thing he knew, he was wide awake, sitting up from where he had been lying with a gasp. His first immediate instincts were to look around in a frenzy for both his sword and the owl. The first of these he found sheathed just to his side but as he looked for the owl, he found that the area around him and the sky above was now completely devoid of a humongous winged attacker.

Iroh was sitting a distance away, eyes looking at Obito in relief. “Thank goodness. I feared you might be many hours yet.”

_Did I… dream that?_

Iroh seemed entirely relaxed considering what Obito believed had just happened and as he felt absolutely no pain like the hurt that had just so badly debilitated him in the middle of combat, Obito began to wonder if he had dreamt up the entire encounter.

He decided that one question should be able to clear up that wonder.

“The owl?” he asked. Iroh looked at him blankly.

“Pardon?”

Looking away, Obito breathed out. So it had just been his imagination dreaming up some insane fantasy to trick his tired brain. He rubbed his eyes; though it had had seemed to very _real_ …

As though just remembering, Iroh's eyes lit up in the semidarkness and he raised a finger, “Ah, you mean the spirit?”

Staring at the old man dubiously and feeling a sinking feeling in his gut, Obito asked, “The what?”

“He is the guardian of knowledge,” Iroh explained, spreading his arms. “All that there is to know in this world, he documents and collects, storing it in his archives buried here in the desert, away from the prying eyes of man.”

Obito waited a long moment. “And he's an owl.”

Noncommittal in nature, Iroh tilted his head back and forth. “He can take any form that he would like, but the owl is his referred form in legend and how he chose to appear to us this evening.”

Pushing himself to his feet, Obito looked around and Iroh waved him down. “He's gone, don't fret.”

Turning sharply, Obito stared down at his companion. “And how pray tell did _you_ manage to drive it away by yourself?”

Iroh, still smiling, looked up at him. “I talked to him.”

Feeling more bewildered yet, Obito rolled his eyes and dropped to the sand next to Iroh as the cool breeze of the night stirred over the dunes. “Of course you did. And how ever did you get him to keep him from killing me when I had my spell? He seemed rather intent on ripping me to pieces with those talons.”

This seemed to be enough to slowly pull the upbeat expression from Iroh's face and he looked down. Not willing to let that sit, Obito leaned his way inquiring further, “What?”

“He…” Iroh started, still looking very hesitant. “He was very certain you were someone else. Spirits who traverse the world of man are remarkably in tune with the chi of we humans and yours is very similar to someone he appears to have history with. Someone who he, and other, have battled and forced out of the spirit world.”

Scratching the back of his head, Obito muttered, “Well since I’ve never _been_ to a spirit world, not entirely sure how that could have been me…”

Iroh stared at him, entirely straight-faced. “Can you be so sure? Without your memories, can you be certain that your path hasn’t taken you there?”

For this, Obito couldn’t feasibly say anything in response, but Iroh waved it off. “Regardless, he left in peace when he gave you a closer look and determined you were not this same offender.”

Giving a brief, disbelieving laugh, Obito shook his head. “And that was that. Spirit shows up, says ‘Time to kill you, oh wait, wrong person, my bad’ and leaves?”

This was enough to give Iroh a chuckle as well. “When you put it like that, I suppose that simplifies the whole encounter.”

He looks skyward, looking distantly in awe. “I never thought I would be granted the chance to encounter another spirit, and such a spirit at that.”

“You've spoken with spirits before?” Obito asked and Iroh gave him a look.

“I’ve met my share.”

Realizing there was a great deal more to learn about this world that he previously had thought and he sat next to Iroh in silence for a while, pondering what he might have said if he had told his past self a few hours ago that he was going to be shortly attacked by a giant, talking owl. But as the stars twinkled brightly above, something occurred to him and he turned to Iroh.

“One more thing for now: this person the owl… er, spirit _thought_ I was. Did he mention this person's name?”

Iroh sighed.

“No one I’ve ever heard of, but if he's so intent on interfering with the dealings of spirits then he is as foolish as anyone could be.”

Obito was unable to say exactly why what Iroh said next sent an uncomfortable feeling down his spine.

“Someone named Madara.”

* * *

When Toph awoke, she looked around immediately as though she knew she had forgotten something. It took the hammering of her heart, to the heat of the fire, to the weight of all those bodies being dumped to the ground for her to remember exactly what had happened last night, and she curled up under her blanket, trying to keep herself from crying. It was still hard to collect her feelings, but she knew that it was going to take some time to sort them out. After several minutes of her trying not to feel too badly for herself, she sniffed and exited her covers.

She could feel Katara and Suki just there by the fire and others dozens of feet away.

“What time is it?” she asked, trying to sound more groggy than in a state of mental duress.

“Just past midday,” Suki said. Based on her movements, she was putting some things together.

“As soon as Sasuke is finished, we’re going to move at least a few miles down the coast,” said Katara. She seemed to be sitting still, but Toph could feel how tense she was by the way she was barely moving. “In case others from this group come looking, we want to be a good distance away. Another run in would hardly be beneficial for anyone, I think.”

“As soon as Sasuke’s finished what?” Toph asked. She couldn’t feel his measured, stoic pacing in anyone nearby, indicating he was once again off doing his own thing. There was an uncomfratble pause before Katara said quietly.

“He’s moving the bodies of the tribesmen. He got up early this morning and when I went to check on him, he had dug a pit big enough for all of them. Mentioned something about giving them a proper pyre, or as best that he could.”

Toph was surprised. She wouldn’t have expected Sasuke to have felt any sort of responsibility towards the fallen natives, but it gave her heart a strange sense of warmth to know he did. She started to turn, hoping to ask where this was taking place so she could lend a hand, but she had scarcely opened her mouth before Katara cut her off.

“He also said he… doesn’t want any help. Feels he needs to do it himself. By hand.”

“Wait…” Toph muttered. “He’s moving all those bodies by himself and _without_ bending or jutsu or whatever? He’s carrying them all himself?”

Suki’s voice was low, almost reverent.

“He said it was his duty.”

Toph stood there a while longer before finally shaking off her disbelief at his actions and saying, “Well, thanks for telling me. I’m betting I missed breakfast.”

She heard the smile in Katara’s voice. “Zuko said to call him over when you want your food warmed up. He’s over with Mai now, but I can go and…”

“No, no thanks,” Toph said quickly. “I… think I’d like to take a walk if I could, first. Just by myself.”

It was impossible to phrase that request in a way that didn’t directly suggest that she was doing this for an emotional purpose, and she could tell Katara was deciding whether or not to tail her. She hoped that the older girl wasn’t going to do so; Toph could sense someone following her from a fair distance and she wasn’t in the mood to have her privacy pushed upon.

“Alright,” Katara finally sighed. “Don’t be too long.”

“I won’t.”

Toph turned perhaps a might too quickly and started off down the beach. She picked the direction she sensed only the movement of the water towards and when she was far enough along the water’s edge, she let tears run down her face. It had been foolish to think that she could keep herself from crying, it was something she had to let out. Her feelings were dismally confusing, and the tears seemed to aid her ability to try and cope with them.

Sasuke was dangerous, he was arrogant, he was rude and conceitful, he might very well have been sadistic above all else. But his allure was something Toph couldn’t find herself able to find distance from. He was interesting and a comforting presence in a very certain degree. She knew Katara and others likely found just the opposite to be true, but when she was with him, Toph felt as safe as she had ever been. It was fair knowledge that she could protect herself and was no slouch on the field of battle, but Sasuke… he made her feel protected in a way that she couldn’t quite describe.

She was scared of him, but she felt drawn to him like a bird to the air. He was unpredictable enough to be dangerous, but she couldn’t imagine him leaving now.

_Damn it all._

It was a tight jam, it truly was.

Continuing to walk her way down the beach, she felt several rocks on her right, one a fair bit heavier than the rest and she moved ankle-deep into the tide to keep herself out of their way. It would have been just as easy to move them, but she had trouble feeling she could even summon the energy to bend.

“So, you’re finally awake,” the heavier rock said and Toph grit her teeth, jumping at the sudden voice. Of course, it hadn’t been the rock talking at all, but rather the person who had been perched on it which explained its greater weight in regards to the other, similarly sized boulders.

Azula’s voice was a cold wind that cut right into Toph’s musings; she froze where she had been walking as she felt the Fire Nation princess hop down from where she had been waiting. Even with the sand that made it difficult to tell particulars, Toph could feel the telltale pretentious strides of Azula even still.

“What do you want, Azula?” Toph asked the question bluntly. She quite frankly wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone, but Azula of all people was hardly someone she would consider worthy of a good conversation anyway.

The princess’s voice was nothing less than ostentatious as she sneered back, “Oh, going to be like that, are we? Fine, I’ll get right to the point, little earthbender.”

Her condescending nature was enough to bring Toph’s blood to a solid boil almost immediately and she clenched her fists as Azula’s tone dipped into a less mocking and more menacing octave.

“You were with Sasuke last night. Alone.”

“Yeah, I’m aware,” Toph said flatly. She could feel Azula tighten up at her equally dismissive attitude and felt some satisfaction at that.

“What transpired between the two of you?”

The sudden and personal question shouldn’t have caught Toph off guard, but her mental musings were still keeping her slightly held hostage. At this however, she was more than able to fully devote herself to the matter at hand.

“Sasuke proposed, and we’ll be getting married at the end of next month. I was hoping you would be willing to be a bridesmaid. Or a flower girl if that suits you better,” Toph replied sarcastically.

“Don’t play games with me,” Azula fairly snarled. Her shift in tone had come quickly enough to assure Toph that the princess had a great deal of mental stock invested in this line of thought. Toph gave a shrug.

“What makes you so sure that it’s any of your business?”

“Because I make it my business. Sasuke’s doings are something I want to be constantly aware of, and as of recently, his only mystery is whatever words he shared with you.”

Azula began to prod then, “Let me guess, you spilled how much his massacre of those savages bothered you? And he pretended to be sympathetic and cared how you felt?”

Toph balled her hands into fists. “You really don’t know the first thing about him, do you?”

A rolling chuckle passed Azula’s lips.

“Let me ask this then, Toph, if you’re so certain that you have a better read on his person than I do. Because I know you’ve both spent a fair bit of time alone together outside of last evening. How much do you think Sasuke really cares about you? You don’t think the time he spends trying to appease you is any different from everyone else? That his end goal is all that drives him, enough to fake affection and camaraderie?”

Though Azula’s words were enough to plant knives of doubt in Toph’s spine she gave a mocking laugh, one that might have sounded a touch too manic.

“Oh, like you, your highness? It’s funny that you think you can be a judge of other people when you are yourself just an emotionally broken victim of your father. You don’t even know what to look for in a person to tell what they’re really thinking.”

She pushed on, relishing the way she felt Azula clench up even further. “Because I can tell you why you just said all that. You’re trying to guess at what you think he might be feeling, what you _hope_ he’s feeling. You want him to be just like you, and you’re hoping I’ll admit something that confirms it.”

“Well, news flash, Azula, Sasuke is _nothing_ like you! You can stand there and act like you’re still some high and mighty bitch who thinks the world still owes her everything, but you’re going to have to realize pretty soon that you’re still living a fiction!”

Azula gave a slow labored breath that Toph could hear hiss from her nostrils like steam.

“And what about you, Toph? What’s got you so worked up about this? You seem to think that you know him better than someone like I, so come on, enlighten me. What does Sasuke think about _you_?”

Toph froze up against her will, but she had nothing she could refute Azula with; a myriad of comebacks raged in her head, but none of them seemed to be able to find her tongue. She didn’t want to hear what Azula was going to say, though she had already steeled herself to deny it.

“I’ll tell you what I think,” Azula said, her voice a cold smirk. “He knows that you’re the strongest bender in the group. He knows that before this comes to an end, he’ll have to go against Katara and the Avatar and that will result in violence.”

“Stop it.” Toph said, suddenly feeling very scared. The possibility of what Azula was hinting at was enough to cause a wave of pain to seep through her gut, and flash with panic. Of course, the princess drove on, surely loving the discomfort she was eliciting.

“He’ll want you on his side when that day comes. So he’s more than happy to pretend to be nice to you, to act like he cares, to indulge a stupid little girl’s crush because in the end, he’ll get what he wants when you quietly move to his side.”

“I said, stop it!!” Toph suddenly found herself screaming, her voice cracking almost hysterically. As though a cork had been pulled in her head, a hundred outcomes swarmed to the front of her mental processes, Azula’s suggestion being only one of many. Sasuke would never use her. He was a certifiable asshole, but he wasn’t evil. He wouldn’t go try and hurt Aang or anyone either, he would just leave, wouldn’t he? What reason would he have to fight?

“I’m terribly sorry, am I giving you too much to think about?” Azula asked, the mocking in her voice excessive now. “Or am I just plain wrong? Go on then, correct me.”

Trying to stop the now overwhelming shaking in her hands, Toph clutched them to her chest, taking in gulps of air. Azula’s prodding had done enough to nearly break her, but she remembered one thing that had happened the previous night that prompted her into realizing the fair amount of ammunition she had herself.

“You sat next to him at dinner.”

Her voice was just above a whisper, but as Azula snapped back at her, voice now angrily confused, she felt a spark in her gut mixed with all the ceaseless anxiety.

“I felt it. You went out of your way to be close to him. What did he say to that?”

Imagining the angry snarl that was surely working at Azula’s face made her feel all the more confident. “And back at the temple. You saved him from being fired on by those archers. What did he say to that?”

“I’m sure you think you’re awfully clever…” Azula growled, and Toph heard the weakness in her tone then and pounced.

“You know what he thinks of me so well, let me tell you what he thinks about you. Or rather, what he doesn’t. Because he _doesn’t_ care about you, Azula. You aren’t even worth his time to mention. You think that Mai and Ty Lee were the only ones who knew you had a conversation a couple nights back on the airship? Except I got to hear the whole thing, cuz my hearing’s a little better than most. I heard what he said to you, how much you disgust him. You tried to open up to someone for the first time ever and he treated you like the self-indulgent little shit you are! You’re _nothing_ to him!”

Every word she hurled felt like it was building her up higher and higher until she was towering over the princess. Azula had nothing to say in response to this and Toph took that as more than a victory. Feeling another wave of tears coming on, she jabbed a finger in Azula’s direction.

“So next time you want to come after me telling me what Sasuke thinks, just remember how little you mean to any of us, especially him!”

She stormed off further down the beach and was relieved when she felt no presence coming after her. Toph let her anger take her as far as it could before it broke down and the wave of despair it had been hiding brought her to her knees several hundred feet further down the coast.

As water splashed over her legs and tears rolled down her face, she tried with every bit of will she had to deny that Azula’s words had any truth to them.

* * *

Even standing a dozen yards from the burning mass of bodies, Sasuke still felt the heat as though he were standing in front of an open furnace. The others could think that this was some kind of act of compassion towards the lives he had taken, but he had already come to terms with that himself and this wasn’t that. They would be moving from this place shortly, but removing any signs that there had been a fight at all could prove beneficial. The scorched trees, Sasuke had taken to with jutsu and made it look as though they had never been there at all. The weapons had been taken with the bodies to be burned and any blood was buried beneath sand. He was grateful that no one had offered to help his work, lest his pretense be discovered and the truth to his actions cause further unrest amongst his companions.

Katara, who he was surprised hadn’t approached him, would likely have the best idea that he was acting out of necessity rather than kindness, but it was likely the promise between them would keep her from confronting him, at least where others could see. But as long as he could keep the rest of them from rebelling on him for the time being, it was fine.

He had indulged last night, badly. And Sasuke was very fortunate it hadn’t cost him more than some fearful looks and a near emotional breakdown from Toph. He would have to watch himself, at least until he could leave them behind and finally pursue his own path in peace. If they turned against him, he very much didn’t want to have to use force to attain the information he needed. It was stupid, but he had the faintest idea that he might be developing feelings for some of them, feelings of companionship, camaraderie and even…

“It’s nice, what you’re doing. Not leaving them out to rot I mean.”

Aang’s voice was careful and stuttering and Sasuke half-turned to face him. The kid still looked a wreck as though he hadn’t made much progress recovering from what he had seen the previous night. Sasuke didn’t suppose he could blame him, but he wasn’t in the mood for some kind of heart to heart right then.

Looking away, he inquired, “Katara okay with you being that close to me?”

It was good to hear some indignation then in his tone, indicating he wasn’t entirely still in shock from the whole thing. “She’s not my mom, you know.”

“Could have fooled me.” Sasuke remarked as he looked at the smoke roiling into the air. He would have to speed things along shortly.

“I just… I just wanted to tell you…” Aang started to say, sounding like he was trying to choose his words with extreme caution.

“If you’re going to give me some monk garbage about the importance of not killing, don’t waste your breath. I don’t regret what I did, and I would do it again.”

“No, no, I know. It’s just… I know you have to be hurting right now. And I wanted to tell you that you can talk to me if you want. If there’s anything you need to say.”

Sasuke stood still in relative bewilderment. He didn’t know what was more bizarre, the fact that despite everything Aang knew Sasuke to be capable of and all the acts he had witnessed Sasuke perform, he was still willing to be open with him and offer some level of compassion that probably wasn’t deserved.

Or that, he realized, Aang might be right about the hurt.

“I’m fine, thanks.”

Aang gave a brief, sad laugh. “Yeah, I thought you might say that. But I’ll be around if you change your mind. I…”

He cut off as though he was about to be sick as Sasuke heard a gentle retching noise.

“I will never be able to condone this, or anything like it. I should despise you for what you are and what you’ve done. But I know you’re still a person and I have to be willing to look at things from everyone’s perspective. That’s my ninja way.”

Sasuke nearly bit off his own tongue as his brain brought his whole body to a moment of temporary paralysis. He spun, glaring at Aang who looked back at him with sudden fright.

“What did you just say?!”

“Nothing, I just said that I have to be willing to view things from more than one—”

“No, after that!! What did you say?!”

Aang only shook his head. “Sasuke, I didn’t say anything after that…. I didn’t.”

Sasuke continued to stare at him furiously for several long, uncomfortable seconds, breathing very hard before Aang gave him a last look of pain and jogged back towards the camp.

For a while, Sasuke started after him before he turned his attention slowly back to the fire in front of him, burning from the pit below. He knew what he had heard.

But he knew it wasn’t Aang that had said it.

Blood teared down his face as he brought Amaterasu to life. The orange flames erupted in black and within moments, there was nothing left of the bodies but a smoking pit on the beach by the treeline. A few hand seals later and the sand rushed over and around with great sweeping swirls to cover the pit and look as though there had never been any fire at all. 


	12. Chapter 12

** Chapter 12: Cold Desire **

Mai pushed her way through the foliage of the forest, hearing the distant chatter of her group fade away behind her. The move had been quick and successful as Aang and his flying lemur had managed to scout out a spot that was just as good as the one they had previously occupied.

Sokka had rode in around noon, and neither he nor Appa looked any too pleased about having to immediately bolt again. There had been a fair bit of dancing around the topic of why exactly they had to move and it likely was due in no small part to how cagey everyone was surely behaving; Sokka’s outspoken and brash behavior was muted even as he arrived though, as if he had sensed something that had gone very wrong in the time since he had left. Katara had finally talked him down with a promise they would talk about it later, and that seemed to tide him over.

Most of the packing had already been done, and loading up Appa took only about a half hour; Mai had been tending to pulling some laundry from where it hung between some trees when she had heard an argument break out between Sasuke and Katara. The former was rather upset that they had no plans to move the airship along with them, with Katara loudly explaining that it would take too long to prepare and they didn’t need it anyway with a lighter group of people. Sasuke had then started snarling about how he would need it when Ozai’s location was revealed and a full-blown shouting match might have broken out if Mai hadn’t dropped what she was doing and come over. A part of her was both impressed and terrified by how unafraid Katara seemed to be of Sasuke after what had happened the night previous.

“We’ll give it a look over and make sure it’s still hidden well down that crevasse. Once we find out what you need to know, we’ll take you back and you can fly it wherever you need to go,” she had said, speaking sternly over the both of them. Neither had seemed particularly satisfied but they stopped arguing and that was enough.

With the real beginning of the festivities beginning the island over that evening, there was a good deal to be done in preparation. Mostly because Katara had pulled everyone aside while Sasuke had been burning bodies with some quick, focused words; as Aang, who had gone over to speak to Sasuke and had earned a severe glare from Katara, joined the rest of them, Katara had looked around at the lot of them. Sokka, Suki, Aang, Zuko, Ty Lee and Mai herself gave her the due diligence of paying attention, but Mai noticed that both Toph and Azula seemed deeply preoccupied.

“Sasuke can’t go to the festival by himself. I’d rather he just leave and be gone for good myself, but he needs to be kept in line to make sure he doesn’t’ instigate anything that compromises our location. Best case scenario, we get to the festival, find the advisor and get Sasuke what he needs. No one gets hurt, everything stays quiet.”

Ty Lee made a noise of polite disbelief. “I have trouble believing it’ll be that easy.”

Katara gave her a nod. “It won’t be. But if some of us go along, it could lessen or prevent whatever chaos Sasuke might get up to on his own.”

Suki raised a hand.

“I can go. It won’t seem odd because of my background; he won’t question having someone with experience spotting out people and who is good in a fight come along.”

Sokka strangely didn’t seem to protest or offer to come along as well; as Mai watched him, he seemed to be looking around at the lot of them and seeming like he was doing his best to keep from appearing uncomfortable.

Katara nodded in agreement, “That’s a good choice.”

“I’ll go along too,” Azula said, sliding her silky and insidious voice into the conversation. This was not met with the same consent as Suki’s self-nomination, and Mai was one of several who gave the princess a shrewd look then. She caught Ty Lee looking at Azula with an extremely pained expression, but the acrobatic warrior made no comment. It was Zuko who finally gave the idea his own thoughts.

“I don’t know, Azula, with what all happened between you two…”

His sister flashed her striking eyes his way, her voice dripping with contempt. “I’m aware of what happened, Zuzu, I don’t need you to remind me.”

She continued on, “Unlike the rest of you, I’ve spent a good deal of time with father’s chief advisor; I know his men almost by sight alone and will be able to spot him or any of them myself. I’m more than capable in a fight, and it would be prudent to have a firebender go regardless.”

Zuko, looking unpleased with being put down so suddenly and so harshly, spoke up. “Then I’ll go. Sasuke needs someone who can keep a level head.”

Azula’s eyes widened with belittling disbelief. “Oh, and that should be you?! Don’t make me laugh, you’ll pick a fight with someone two steps into the festival.”

Balling his fists and looking more than ready to make Azula’s point for her, Zuko opened his mouth, but Mai put a hand on his and it stopped him long enough for Katara to softly mention, “We need you here, Zuko. Aang still needs as much training as he can.”

Looking only partially like he thought his idea would work anyway, Zuko said nonetheless, “Azula could train him while I’m gone.”

Both Aang and Azula adopted identical horrified looks at the prospect and Katara shook her head. “Absolutely not.”

Mai found her attention drifting towards Toph as she tried to keep from laughing at Zuko’s absurd proposal. The young earthbender had been uncharacteristically quiet, but as attention returned to possible prospects, she raised her voice, the clarity of her tone not matching the hesitant posture she held herself with in that moment.

“I’m going too. He needs someone to watch his back.”

Watching as Azula turned to sneer towards the younger girl, Mai voiced her own concern before anyone else could. “When you say watching…”

Crossing her arms, Toph looked her way and made a face. “Yeah, you know what I mean.”

Not even realizing what she had just implied, Mai quickly tried to correct herself, feeling her cheeks flush at how rude she had just unintentionally been.

“No, no, I didn’t mean… that’s not what I…”

Ty Lee spoke up for her then as Zuko squeezed her hand, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

“She just means she’s not sure if you’re the best person to mind after someone like him.”

But this only seemed to further offend Toph than Mai’s comment had. The girl swelled up, looking more than a little irked. “What’s that supposed to mean?! You think I can’t handle myself in a fight?!”

As Ty Lee winced and gave Mai a desperate look, Katara came to the rescue. “Toph, it’s not that, and you know it. Sasuke is going to need people at his back who can be objective and can steer him clear of bad situations he might otherwise walk into. You and him… well, it’s no secret that… what I mean to say is…”

Then she began too to flounder and Toph’s cheeks flushed with anger. “Finish that sentence, Katara!!”

Looking just as lost then as Mai and Ty Lee, Katara looked around in something like a panic before her eyes settled on Aang who looked as though he wanted to steer as far from this conflict as he could. Meeting her eyes, the Avatar grit his teeth and gave a thoughtful look before shrugging.

“Alright, Toph, you should go too.”

Stomping one of her bare feet in finality, Toph nodded her chin sharply. “That’s what I thought.”

Without another word, she marched off towards Appa; Katara swiveled to stare furiously at Aang who shrugged again and ran after Toph before she could lay into him. The discussion seemed far from over as Katara made to go after them, but just then everyone caught sight of Sasuke returning and it had to go on hold.

This had all taken place hours ago and now with the camp having been safely moved a few hours down the long and expansive beachfront, Mai was just glad for a chance to be alone with her thoughts for a bit. She had seen a spot near where they had flown over just a half hour ago, and she had deliberately not mentioned it on purpose, hoping to be the first to have a chance with it.

A minute’s walk into the trees led her to what she had seen and it was just as it had appeared from the air. A hot springs lay nestled against the long and slender ferns that carpeted the floor of the island’s interior. Mai gave a pleased sigh as she dipped her toe into the liquid and felt a rush of bliss at its warmth. She looked back to make sure that she hadn’t been tailed by anyone and when she was sure that she was alone in her trip to the springs, she quickly undressed and gently lowered herself into the pool as steam wisped around her.

She groaned at the feeling of the water rolling over her tired body. It hadn’t crossed her mind once to complain about the conditions that she had moved to following her defection from her homeland, but there were certainly comforts of her old life that she missed. Beds, carpets and baths to name a few, but this hot springs was as elating as any bath that could be brought up in any of the noble buildings. Mai closed her eyes as she stretched her arms to her left and right over the rocks that made up the pool’s boundaries, euphoric at the idea of just having some time to herself.

“I was hoping I was the only one who had seen it.”

Yelping at the sudden voice, Mai leapt in surprise. There, tucked away behind some ferns on the other end of the springs about a dozen feet away, Sasuke regarded her with a flat stare. Mai had been so preoccupied looking to see if she hadn’t been followed, she hadn’t even bothered to check if she had been alone in the first place. Looking down swiftly to make sure the water had her upper body covered, she nonetheless crossed her arms over her breasts underwater almost subconsciously as she glared back at his black eyes.

“Did you… were you watching…?” she hissed, not able to properly articulate her indignation of being one of two occupants of the springs. Sasuke stared at her, looking like he might be mildly amused.

“I looked away when you were stripping and getting into the water.”

Though she was still more than a little ticked off, there was something about his voice that told her he was telling the truth. Not letting her guard down, but willing to let her voice return to a measured, if stewing, tone, she asked,

“How long have you been here?”

He flicked his eyebrows as he considered her question. “Bout a half hour. Came here as soon as I could get away. Not hard, with how Katara is always so happy to see me removed from anything the group is doing.”

Mai slowly let her arms drift back out to her left and right to rest on the bank of the springs, giving him an exacerbated look as she did. “Don’t tell me you’re going to start acting all self-pitying after what you pulled last night.”

Sasuke gave her a look of brief bemusement before letting out a short chuckle through closed lips. It was still more than a little surreal to hear him laugh.

“Sorry, I wasn’t complaining, getting away is all I can really ask for these days.”

He raised a hand and gestured back the way Mai had come before moving his arms to a position that mirrored hers. “How are things going back there? I told Katara, I don’t need some big bundle of supplies, I’ll take Appa to just outside the festival when it gets dark and that’s really all I need. You lot can feel free to carry on as per normal.”

Doing her best to not look like she was hiding something, Mai tried to move her mind away from the fact that the group was likely trying their best to get Suki, Azula and Toph ready to accompany him. Zuko and Aang had resumed training upon their arrival on Katara’s insistence, but she, her brother and Ty Lee had started making sure that things were in order for the departure that evening. Before Mai had slipped away, she had seen Ty Lee moving supplies, and had seen how utterly defeated her friend had looked. If Mai hadn’t been so intent on spending time alone with her thoughts, she would have invited her along.

Not that her original plan had worked out so well anyway.

She did her best to beat around the question. “Everyone’s doing fine. Move went well enough and I was able to get some time with myself.”

It was a point that she realized she didn’t quite believe, even if it was in regard to herself. She was quietly having an anxiety attack over the idea of Azula tagging along with Sasuke anywhere, but she hadn’t felt able or willing to say anything that indicated such. Azula would never listen to her anyway, it was likely that she wouldn’t be swayed by anyone. But the thought of what could go wrong… there was so much it was hard to rationalize.

Azula was unstable to a fault, but she had reacquired a goal, not one that Mai was remotely on board with. She had become enraptured with Sasuke and was taking it to every level she could. There was a part of Mai that believed Azula still wanted nothing more than to put a knife or a firebolt in his back, and she didn’t know what option she liked better: Azula hating Sasuke to the point of an attempted murder or a pure obsession to be near him.

But as she sat alone with Sasuke, Mai realized there was something she could do about her worry.

“Hey, Sasuke?”

His gaze having drifted away thoughtfully, he turned back to her. “Hmm?”

Mai knew that Katara had been more than a little insistent that they not spring this on Sasuke until the very last moment as to hopefully keep him from doing too much about it, but in order to keep distance between him and Azula, Mai was willing to take whatever heat she got for blabbing.

“We’re planning on sending some of us with you. To the festival.”

Beneath the water, she clenched her fists as she waited for him to process this and then likely either shout angrily in her direction or flat out storm back to the camp to shut the idea down. But he did none of these things, instead closing his eyes and saying quietly, “I was afraid of that.”

Mai looked at him inquisitively. “You knew that we would try and keep you from going alone?”

He sighed. “I guess so. I more or less just hoped I would be able to leave without forcibly keeping others from tagging along.”

The more or less apparent threat in his voice gave Mai pause but it didn’t deter her. Playing the devil’s advocate to her own worry, she asked, “Are you so sure you don’t want the company? After Toph followed you to the palace, I don’t know how well we would have been able to pull that escape off without her.”

His eyes looked up to her flatly. “This is much different. It isn’t some kind of rescue mission where there’s going to be all kinds of fighting, I want to keep this as quiet a gathering mission as I can. And you lot are exactly the kind of detriment that would screw with that plan. Any one of you is only going to get in the way.”

Mai immediately felt guilty regret washing through her; it had been stupid to think that telling Sasuke this ahead of time would do any good. Of course he would be opposed to this, but the indication now seemed to be that it would come to a head one way or another. Knowing she would just have to wait for the inevitable exchange of heated words that would surely come when they returned to camp, she changed the subject.

“Toph seems pretty attached to you.”

Rolling his eyes so hard they might have briefly left his head, Sasuke grunted. “Yeah, along with Azula, I’m just such a popular guy.”

He turned his gaze to her, “It's awfully hard to distance myself from you guys when I have those two practically breathing down my neck.”

“What do you mean?” Mai nearly shouted; her sudden interest in what Sasuke's thoughts were on the attention surprised her, but whatever he might say about Azula was of the utmost relevance. Sasuke ran a hand through the steaming water and brought it up to his face, slowly washing it.

“Toph sticks to me like sap. I don’t know why. It's like she’s taken some kind of responsibility in minding my wellbeing, even though I can tell she's just as afraid of me as anyone else.”

Mai bit the inside of her mouth to keep from smirking; he really was clueless if he couldn’t get why Toph had taken such an interest in him.

He continued, “And Azula… now that’s some unsettling shit. I don't think she’s even said a word to me since we got to the island, but her eyes just fix on me. She's got such… striking eyes.”

Trying not to tense up at how his voice softened then, Mai watched as Sasuke seemed to notice his own tone and cleared this throat. “She just won't stop watching me. I hate to say it, but I think you might be right about what you said yesterday.”

“You could always tell her how you feel. She might stop then,” Mai said almost hopefully. Sasuke waved a hand.

“That would only help if I knew _how_ I felt about it,” he muttered.

 _Damn it,_ Mai thought, her heart rate quickening. The last thing she needed was for Sasuke to develop feelings back towards her. She didn’t know if she could imagine a more destructive couple both to the world and to each other. Both of them were so brutally disturbed and emotionally stunted, they'd probably wind up producing the most toxic batch of children ever to walk the earth.

As Mai practically shuddered at the thought, Sasuke seemed to remember something.

“By the way, what did you mean yesterday when you said I didn’t ‘know as well as I thought I did' or whatever that was?”

Remembering the comment she had made, Mai realized how awful a thing that would be to lay out, especially without Ty Lee's permission. It had been stupid of her to say then and as she looked back into Sasuke's awfully handsome face as he watched her intently, she could only stutter back at him.

“That… it wasn't… I didn’t mean to…”

“Mai? Are you back here? Zuko wanted to talk to you and Toph said she felt you walk this—”

As though it were some kind of sick joke, Katara pushed into the small clearing the hot springs resided in and abruptly stopped taking as her eyes fell on the pair of them. She seemed to process first who she saw, what they were doing and the fact they were alone all through a string of facial expressions that might have been funny if Mai hadn’t been so utterly horrified. Closing her mouth which had fallen agape, Katara drew herself up and turned to walk away without another word. Turning to look desperately around at Sasuke, Mai looked at him as he did nothing but shrug unhelpfully. Cursing, Mai leapt from the water, grabbing her clothes and trying to redress as she ran after the waterbender, not caring in that moment if Sasuke saw her; catching Katara was far more urgent than her modesty, or lack thereof.

“Katara, wait!”

Fortunately, she hadn’t been walking away too quickly and Mai was able to catch up to her before they reached the beachfront. Katara turned and crossed her arms as Mai struggled to finish pulling her clothes back on.

“That wasn’t what it looked like.”

Flicking her eyebrows up, Katara replied flatly, “I certainly hope it wasn't.”

Trying to keep her usually collected and steady tone from getting too frenzied, Mai pointed back in the direction of the rising steam. “He was just there, I didn’t see him until I was already in too and…”

“And you didn’t think to immediately leave?” Katara asked. Mai swallowed and steadied her breathing.

“Please don't tell Zuko.”

Tilting her head back and looking up in frustration, Katara snapped, “Get real, Mai, I’m not annoyed because I think you’re being unfaithful to your boyfriend.”

The relief in that was small, but noticeable and Mai felt her stomach settle ever so slightly in its queasiness. Katara continued, “I’m annoyed that you willingly spent time alone with Sasuke.”

Ah, of course. It wasn’t just her friends and brother Katara was worried about. Though it was still something that surprised her, it hadn’t been lost on Mai how Katara had begun to act around the newcomers to their group even after just a few days. Almost as though they had never been at each other’s throats in the past, she had started looking on after Mai and Ty Lee, making sure they were fed and healthy, and asking their thoughts on appropriate matters. Even Azula had been warranted some of that same treatment though to a much more strict amount; Mai supposed it probably wasn’t exactly easy for Azula to be granted the same kind of motherly attention.

_Though she probably needs it the most._

“I know you’re worried about him,” Mai began carefully. “And I’m not trying to undermine what you’ve got going on here.”

Katara eyed her seriously and Mai knew she had to be cautious in how she proceeded.

“But Sasuke isn’t going to hurt me.”

As she looked at Katara’s completely dubious and unbelieving expression, Mai realized just how much better that had sounded in her head than actually thought out loud. She raised her hands as Katara shook her head and closed her eyes in exasperation. “I know he’s dangerous. I know he’s probably unhinged. But… you just have to trust me on this one. He’s not going to hurt me, nor is he going to hurt any of us.”

Katara’s voice was much less assured. “You sound pretty confident.”

Mai inclined her chin with intent. “I am. He has his mission and at no point is it going to require him to go after any of us.”

Crossing her arms, Katara looked towards the beach through the trees. Mai followed her gaze to see the group setting up camp as best as they were able; it looked as though Sokka had gotten on Ty Lee’s nerves and she had numbed his right leg and he was now hobbling about angrily to the roaring laughter of Toph, Aang and Suki. Mai wondered how much of the laughing was forced through the still fresh memory of the slaughter that had taken place only a day ago, but even just the sound of it was enough to bring a faint smile to her face. And as she looked at Katara’s expression, her eyes wide and worried, and her mouth a tight line of concern, Mai tried her best at being gracious.

“I hope you know we appreciate what you’re doing. For everyone.”

Katara looked at her, but Mai kept her gaze locked on the beach. Zuko had joined up in the laughing but had tripped over Sokka’s errant leg to go sprawling in the sand and much of the amused attention shifted to him. Mai continued quietly, “Azula will never admit it, but Ty Lee and I have noticed how good you’ve been to us. _Us_ of all people, the women who hounded and attacked you across so many miles. But you’ve accepted us almost without hesitation and I can tell how hard it must have been even before you had three drama queens and then the chaotic delinquent on board.”

This was enough to bring a faint smirk to Katara’s face. “You’re hardly a drama queen, Mai. Actually, you’re the easiest person to have around and I mean of everyone. You don’t complain, you don’t grip, you don’t antagonize, and you help as much as you can. Though you’ll forgive me if I say that surprises me.”

Mai tilted her head as she thought on that. “No offense taken. I’m actually surprised at myself, I would have imagined I would be a total bitch to be around in conditions like this. I guess being a literal fugitive helps you take stock on the fact that you really don’t have much.”

Nodding in understanding, Katara looked over Mai’s shoulders into the trees. “I just… the sooner he gets what he wants, the sooner we can get ready for him to be gone for good.”

Without another word, she walked from the trees to rejoin the group. Mai would join her after a few seconds but not before she thought how odd it was for Katara to say that they would need to “get ready” for Sasuke to depart.

* * *

Sitting on a piece of driftwood a few dozen feet from the group, Azula looked at the ongoing gelastics with a haughty indifference. Even from where she watched as Sokka finally fell to the ground and Ty Lee walked over to undo her martial arts magic, she could tell how much of the laughter didn’t quite sound natural. As someone who found the act of laughing genuinely at something humorous quite impossible, it was easy for her to tell the difference between real and fake. Many sycophantic advisors and soldiers in the Fire Nation had graced her with their false chuckling and there were pieces of that she could hear now echoing over the beach. The trauma from what they had experienced from last night was still weighing on them as a whole it seemed.

 _This_ was something Azula indeed found humorous as it seemed she was the only one who had been utterly enthralled by the previous evening’s proceedings.

The way Sasuke had moved, how he had cut them all to pieces without even coming close to being touched… it had been truly something breathtaking to witness. A distant part of her had bitterly realized that when he had fought her, he must have been holding back; if he had wanted, he could have gut her like a fish in moments. It was a thought that both terrified and exhilarated her.

It was as though he had been set free, finally able to unleash his pent up wrath on those who truly meant nothing to him. Just moving targets for his blade to pierce through and utterly disembowel as he wove a bloody curtain against the burning trees. It had been such a beautiful sight, right up until it ended and she still remembered the intoxicating excitement that she had felt bearing witness to it all.

_The way he cut down that last man who came for me… like he was just twitching a muscle and that blade was through him instantly._

Azula considered herself rather lucky that the tribesman’s words hadn’t come back to haunt her; everything he said had been entirely true, but he even still had neglected the most brutal details, likely because he hadn’t been around to witness them. The artifact in question that he had spoken of had been a carving of an Avatar of old who had hailed from the Fire Nation, a statue that her great-grandfather had supposedly made pilgrimage to on multiple occasions to seek aid from his ancestors. Azula had heard of it and desired to possess it for her own as a decoration and piece of history that rightfully belonged to her family.

Of course, the foolish tribe had thought otherwise. They had indeed been perfectly hospitable and open when she had arrived with her company of soldiers, but when she stated her intentions, they had openly denied her this birthright. Her fury had come alive immediately, and she had ordered her soldiers to scour the village until they found it. When nothing was uncovered, she had made for the main temple and took the village leader, an old and weathered man, and demanded he turn over the statue. He had quietly denied and Azula had then ordered a random member of the village to be brought in one by one: every time he denied her or lied about having the artifact, she would burn the life away from the unlucky victim. It was a half dozen bodies before he finally relented, sobbing as he did.

The tribe had been located deep in the heart of the island, but Azula supposed if a scouting or hunting party had happened along their ragtag group on the beach, one of them would have likely recognized her. Hence their approach by night and the arrow that had come flying her way to start the whole thing.

Azula rubbed her neck and saw Sasuke’s hand reach out and pluck the barbed projectile from the air like a frog snapping up a bug. He had saved and then killed on her behalf, a demon set loose by his own anger.

Watching Toph put a hand over her mouth in the near distance, Azula pulled a look of disgust. How truly ironic it was that of all the people to think they ought to get anywhere near Sasuke, this stupid girl had shown the audacity to actually stand between her and getting nearer to him. Azula knew that though she couldn’t hope to stand against Sasuke physically, it would be much more possible to slowly lure him in over time was something she was beginning to think she could bank on. Sasuke was, despite his overwhelming strength, little more than a lost dog who was in desperate need of direction. Azula knew she could give him that direction, given time. But Toph…

Azula grit her teeth.

_That little bitch._

Somehow, she was growing nearer to Sasuke seemingly by the hour. And he was letting her. Why? What possibly could possess someone as isolating as Sasuke to think that growing close to a hyper, rude, and disgusting girl was a generally good idea?

Shaking her head, Azula turned to look out over the endless waves. It didn’t matter. Tonight, she would go with him to the festival and begin to prove her case as to why he should come to stand by her side.

It had been almost unbelievably easy to sway the general consensus to allowing her to travel along with him, Suki and Toph and while she wasn’t sure if she had quite won her case just yet, she knew Sasuke wouldn’t deny her. Somehow she knew that.

And from there, she could press forward.

If she was to have her way, four would travel to that festival, but only two would leave as the stars burned above their heads.

* * *

Sasuke knew immediately as he broke the treeline onto the beach what was coming.

He had sat in the springs mulling things over for a very long time after Mai had left with Katara, thinking on to a great many things. It had been an hour before the reality of his situation began to set in and an excited elation began to rise gently in his gut. This was the night he would find where Fire Lord Ozai was hidden, and where he would go to gain his answers. The first step to reclaiming who he was and what he wanted was nearly there and all of the sudden, everything that Mai, or Toph, or Katara, or _anyone_ had said suddenly seemed deeply irrelevant. He had looked up at the sun beaming down overhead, wishing he could speed up its passing merely by leering at it. Finally, he had pulled himself from the water’s hot recesses and redressed, heading back for the camp.

But as he walked out towards his companions with the evening drawing nearer, he could see that Mai’s warning plus his own forecasting would be paying dividends sooner than he might have wanted.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for him as though they were preparing to stage some kind of intervention. Katara stood predictably at the head of the group with Aang and Sokka at either side of her, the Avatar looking focused but nervous and her brother seemed strangely calm. Suki looked the most relaxed, but her deep, large eyes bore into him with an intensity she didn’t usually regard him with while Zuko stood with his arms crossed, looking humorously like he was trying to look more imposing than he was. Ty Lee looked more perturbed than ever with Mai standing shoulder to shoulder with her, resolutely not meeting Sasuke’s gaze. Even Azula was standing relatively nearby, with a fiercely determined look in her eyes. Then there was Toph.

The girl was standing a distance from the rest, arms crossed and face turned towards the ground. He expected her to turn his way when he approached, but if anything, she grew more still. He wondered what she was thinking and if she had believed any of what he had said the last time they had spoke.

He decided to make his intentions clear immediately.

“I’m not taking anyone with me.”

Katara turned to give Mai a look that wasn’t returned before glancing back his way and giving a fatigued sigh. “We’ve all talked, Sasuke, and it’s everyone’s thought that you going by yourself is risky to everyone, not just yourself.”

He clasped his hands behind his back and looked at her expectantly. “And how do you figure that?”

Aang surprisingly took up the talking points from there. His smaller, lean frame bobbed gently up and down as he bounced on his heels.

“Well, it’s no secret that you’ve got a… touch for the excessive.”

Turning his gaze away in annoyance, Sasuke growled, “We’re really going to talk about this now?”

Raising his voice as if imagining that doing so would keep up his courage to talk on, Aang added, “And with that going into this highly public, highly social celebration, anything you might do could trigger a chain of things that could easily find their way back to us.”

Katara nodded. “We’ve chosen a couple of us to follow along in order to keep an eye on things, ensure that this is done as discreetly as possible and to verify that you’re going to be headed after the right people.”

Sasuke closed his eyes and thought it over. This was about to potentially blow out into a huge argument that he truly wasn’t interesting in having; the sun was still in the sky, but dipping lower towards the horizon, and the main festivities were set to begin at sundown. With the estimated travel time on Appa’s back weighing in at a few hours at least, Sasuke’s opportune window was growing steadily smaller. And as he toyed with the thought, perhaps it wasn’t as bad as he thought. If Suki or Mai, despite her mellowed but still present animosity towards him, had been selected to come along, he wouldn’t have much to complain about, with the both of them being highly competent and usually pretty quiet to boot. Even Sokka wouldn’t be too bad a companion if he kept his mouth shut for enough of the trip.

Katara gestured in front of him, “Suki, Toph and Azula will be accompanying you to the festival.”

On the other hand, that _certainly_ would not fly.

“Absolutely not,” he said plainly. Ty Lee gave Mai a sideways look, muttering, “Told you so.” Katara immediately adopted an angry expression in sharp contrast to Zuko next to her who strangely enough, looked wholeheartedly relieved.

“This isn’t your decision to make. We will be lending you Appa, and taking the large risk that if something goes wrong, it will come back to bite us.”

Rolling his eyes irritably, Sasuke snapped, “Nothing’s _going_ to happen. I will be extracting the information I need once I’ve located the Fire Lord’s advisor and then I’ll be gone. None of you will be at risk.”

He looked pointedly at her. “I’ll take Suki. One extra person is more than enough.”

Suki looked reservedly flattered that he had chosen her out of the three names that had been mentioned, but jumped and winced immediately as Toph suddenly came to life, turning his way and stomping her foot on the ground, sending a mild shockwave rippling through the earth.

“You’ve got some kind of problem with the rest of us?!”

There were several reasons that Sasuke didn’t want Toph along on this venture, but he opted to keep them to himself; Aang put a hand anxiously on Toph’s shoulder in an attempt to slightly pull down her temper no doubt as she breathed heavily in Sasuke’s direction.

“Sasuke, you know by now she’s not just some kid. She’s really strong and really special, and she’s not going to be getting in the way.”

Toph swatted his hand away like it was an errant fly and the Avatar jumped back in fright at the fierce expression on her face. “I don’t need that, Aang!”

She swiveled to face him again, and he thought he might be able to see angry tears unshed in her unseeing eyes.

“You want me to tell you what I’m worth?! Fine!! I can tell you when there’s someone coming up behind you at a sprint or following you on a rooftop. I can tell you if there’s someone sneaking around behind a wall or on the other side of a building. If one person is running in a crowd of a thousand people, I can tell you exactly where they are. And if it so pleases you, I can do a whole lot to make sure that we aren’t followed.”

Pointing at him, she snarled, “I’m a better pair of eyes than you’ll _ever_ have and I’ll be damned if you’re going to sit here and act like me being blind is some colossal hindrance just so you can brush me aside in your neverending quest to be alone!”

Sasuke stared at her as he listened to all the words that went unsaid as she finished ranting. He could tell there was more she wanted to say, but wasn’t comfortable doing so in front of everyone else. Nonetheless, he was more or less certain that wasn’t a fight he was going to be able to win, particularly when the benefits of taking her along were actually extremely practical.

“Alright, you can come.”

Her expression then switched to a comical cross between being angry that he had assumed it was in his power to give her the yes or no, and surprise that he had given up so quickly.

To his right, Azula smirked. “I see we’re making our pitches then.”

Sasuke gave pause as he allowed himself to look at her. He thought about what he had talked about with Mai, but even then, he could feel that damn pulsing in his gut again that came every time Azula looked at him or spoke. And finally, not since their fight, he was finally being permitted a chance to talk to her.

“No.”

She blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

“No,” he clarified before turning to Katara. “This is the third team member you’re sticking me with. Really? Of all the people here, she’s really the best choice?”

Just by the consternated look on Katara’s face, he could tell that this wasn’t her first choice either, or perhaps had been pressured into it. She gave him a distressed look before turning her head down and pinching the bridge of her nose between her middle and forefinger.

Azula, similar to Toph, seemed hardly willing to be not allowed to speak for herself.

“Excuse me,” she repeated, “but I’m actually the best person you could hope to have accompany you.”

He looked at her dubiously, and she looked right back at him with her cogent, beautiful eyes that danced with determination.

“Those two,” she said dismissively, gesturing at Toph and Suki, “are certainly of a physically practical use in regard to discretion, and movement. But I’m the only one here who has spent enough time among my father’s inner circle to be able to tell a face from a distance, to know his personal guard by look alone, to spot him in a crowd or hidden elsewhere. I can tell you where he would likely be staying if he’s not immediately there and I can tell you what his intent will be based on how intoxicated he is. With me, the chief advisor will not remain concealed for long.”

Sasuke looked at her openly. There was a distant part of him that was buried deep which told him to accept her company, but the more logical and dominant side of his conscious was far more persuasive.

“So, I take you along. And a Fire Nation soldier recognizes you. Then what?”

Suki, though seeming reluctant to mention it, stepped forward, “We’ll be disguised. In the shack near our last camp there was paint likely used for signs and markings that I’m going to use to make the three of us to look like discount Kiyoshi warriors; we won’t have the appropriate dress and headpieces, but if just can do the face paint and hair okay, we’ll look like a group of partying sisters who are half-assing dressing up for the festival. No one will be able to pick Azula out of the crowd.”

Sasuke gestured to himself. “You said the three of you. If this is a façade, what about me?”

She shrugged. “No one there will know you by face. You can just be the dick of an older brother who has to watch after his three sisters.”

He watched Suki for a moment before turning away to face the towering coastal trees, running a hand distractedly through his mess of black hair. This was not at all how he wanted this to be done, it was too risky by a long shot. He knew that the fears of him getting out of hand were not at all unfounded, especially after what everyone had witnessed last night, but the more bodies he had to mind, the more his chance to secure the information he needed might slip away.

Suki he was perfectly okay with. Her background told him that she would remain calm and collected, and her skill ensured that he wouldn’t have to worry about her being unable to defend herself. He also knew Toph was stronger than he might admit, but he still didn’t like the idea of her being in any danger at all; regardless of how this was going to be approached, there was still a chance she would be put in harm’s way. Her emotional state that very clearly still struggling might not make her as sharp-minded as he would like her to be, but he supposed that he might have been overthinking that one.

But Azula. He couldn’t find himself okaying that.

She was a hazard, an unstable and barely contained whirlwind of violence that he knew would only remained sealed away as long as it was beneficial to her. There was no telling what was really being planned behind her intense gaze, at least not by asking or just looking. Sasuke knew what he had to do, but now was not the time. For now, appeasing his companions was the best course of action, even if it very much still was a bad idea in his mind.

Gritting his teeth, he waved a hand ambiguously at the lot of them.

“Alright… we’ll do this your way. We’re leaving in an hour.”

With that, he stalked off down the beach, firing whispered curses towards the waves as he immediately began to think as to how he might have been able to salvage this were he granted another chance. Stopping a distance from the camp, he allowed himself a moment to stop and stand still, the tide washout around his feet.

Behind him, preparations became rushed as the time for departure grew nearer. Sokka, still oddly quiet, worked with Aang and Zuko on making sure Appa had the supplies that were potentially necessary for any foreseeable change in situation. Suki enlisted the aid of Mai, Ty Lee and Katara in helping her work on painting the faces of herself, Azula and Toph, and as Sasuke watched from a distance, he found it rather humorous whenever Katara would snap at Azula for not holding still. He watched them closely as inconspicuously as he could until he finally saw his chance as, following the girls’ finished makeup, Azula moved towards the trees to relieve herself. Getting to his feet and performing a small but effective jutsu that briefly turned everyone’s attention towards a peculiar cyclone forming a few dozen yards off the coast amidst the waves as perhaps a freak waterspout, Sasuke quietly followed her into the trees.

He found her preparing to take care of her business about fifty feet into the coastal forest and he turned away until she had finished; the thick canopy of the forest seemed to shield them entirely from view of the beach which Sasuke found gratifying. He would rather no one else saw this.

Azula, who seemed to have remained entirely oblivious to his trailing, leapt as he stepped in front of her, coming out from behind one of the thicker trees. She collected herself almost immediately and smiled coldly at him from behind the mask of paint that had been done on her. Sasuke saw that you would indeed need to be fairly close to really distinguish Azula’s telling facial features and if you didn’t know what you were looking for, she likely wasn’t going to be found out by anyone. Still, her beauty was unmistakable even behind the makeup.

 _Get ahold of yourself,_ he growled inwardly at himself.

“Not finished arguing, are we?” Azula asked. She looked at him arrogantly and Sasuke fought down the striking similarity that her attitude posed in regards to himself. He hated thinking over just how alike they were even as the comparisons increased by the day.

“I’m not here to argue,” he said. Azula’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as she seemed to take into account his expression, trying to get a read on his emotion.

“No, I don’t think you are… you’re after something else?”

This was all she had time to say before Sasuke snapped his hand seals; she seemed briefly react to his movements and opened her mouth, eyes widening, but in a moment, she was under his genjutsu. Her body went limp as she remained standing, staring ahead at him blankly and he knew he had succeeded. Glancing back once to make sure there was no one watching, he closed his own eyes and pushed forward.

To his surprise, the world he fell into was not of his own making. He had intended to use Azula’s most tender memories to work up some characters that she could talk to, thus telling him what he wanted to know. Perhaps her father, perhaps her mother, maybe even Zuko at a younger age, but instead of finding these memories to plunder, Sasuke found himself standing in front of the Fire Nation royal palace. This hadn’t been at all in his design, and he looked around; he supposed that if this was Azula's world instead, it might be even more telling than one he picked out.

The city itself seemed to almost be blurry in its construction the further away he looked from the palace as though it were being only partially remembered and he saw too that there were certain details that didn’t add up, such as front doors on the upper floors of shops and roads that merged with various buildings. But Sasuke knew that as long as he was in Azula’s head, he would see what she was dreaming up and since he had essentially forced her into a lucid dream of sorts, he would see the very particulars her mind was focusing on. Here, it seemed as though her focus was much more on the palace and that within; the city was only being remembered for the purpose of setting.

The area was deserted as Sasuke climbed up the massive set of stairs that led to the palace’s front doors. It was eerily silent too, the only sound he could hear was the noise his feet made as they gently pushed down on each step. The sky he realized was pure black, a detail Azula hadn’t seemed to think warranted attention, but seeing the palace and having no sky to accompany it was rather ominous.

Sasuke walked through the yawning maw of the palace to find himself within the main hall. Torches burned, but made no sound and he continued on towards where he knew the Fire Lord’s chamber was. Somehow he had the feeling that was where Azula would be and from there he could pull the answers he wanted.

When he passed through the hall and into the antechamber before the throne room, he stopped as his feet squelched in something. Looking down, he found that there was a layer of red liquid that rested over the floor of the entire expanse of room, seeming to be originating from the crack beneath the door to the Fire Lord’s chamber. The metallic smell told him all he needed to know about what he was treading over.

Up until that point, Sasuke had been entirely focused on moving forward and finding Azula, not at all concerned about whatever fantasy world she had dreamed up at his urging, but as he put a hand on the door from under which the blood was spilling, he paused for just a moment. Then, shaking aside his foolish trepidation, he pushed it open.

_It’s a dream, nothing more than that._

Bodies sprawled all over the floor, every one motionless and very clearly dead. They seemed to be the source of the fountaining blood and as Sasuke walked past them, he realized that none of them had faces. They wore different attire of all sorts, some blue parkas, some royal red robes, others with green armor, but each one had a fuzzy, blurry mass where their face ought to be that wouldn’t clear up no matter how hard Sasuke tried to blink it into focus. He stopped dead though when he saw what was before him.

Azula seemed to be straddling her father’s throne, her back to him as he stared at her. Her hair was a blood-soaked mess and her scarlet robes hung loosely around her as he listened to her breathing deeply. She was softly pushing against the throne, slow rhythmic movements as though she were riding some invisible horse through the thickest molasses.

Sasuke realized then that she wasn’t on the throne, not by itself.

He saw himself then, sitting on the throne, Azula on his lap. Her movements he realized those of pressing her lips against his as they kissed atop the Fire Lord’s seat of power. His fictional self had a hand running through her bloody hair as they pressed against one another almost forcibly. Azula had a hand on his cheek, holding his face up to hers with her other hand pressed against the back of the throne, a dirtied knife clutched carelessly. Eventually, she pulled away and looked down at his doppelganger, cradling the blank face in her hands as she smiled possessively down at him.

It was several brutal seconds before Sasuke had to remind himself he was in control.

But as he reached for her to try and reassert his dominance in this dream state, he could suddenly hear her voice, echoing all around him. She wasn’t talking though as she continued to kiss his other self, but he realized that these were her thoughts, rambling and pure.

_“That’s right… you did well, just as I wanted… just to please me. You killed them all, we killed them all, and now it will just be us to rule the pathetic nations that will come crawling for mercy whence their time comes. You will make them bow before me, just as you have before them, you… you are the only thing I need.”_

Suddenly, Sasuke was standing back in the trees of a coastal island, the water rushing at the beach echoing distantly in his ear as seabirds called him back to reality.

He had seen enough.

Before him was Azula, no longer garbed in robes and blood, but wearing the disguise that she would wear to the festival that evening. Her eyes were glazed, but slowly clarity returned to them as she seemed to break free of her stupor.

“What… where… what happened?” she asked, almost in a slur. Sasuke only stared at her as she blinked focus back to her reality. For a moment, her eyes were only questioning, but with a swiftness, they began to narrow as suspicion entered them.

“You did it to me again, didn’t you?”

Her voice was cold and shaking, and when Sasuke didn’t reply, she shoved him in the chest with enough force to send him stumbling a few steps back.

“Didn’t you?!”

He found he didn’t know quite what to say, or even if there was anything _to_ say. Before, he had written off his own diagnosis of Azula and what he thought might be going on in her head. Mai and Ty Lee’s confrontation had done little to stir his theory, but now, he could see that things weren’t as he had anticipated.

They were much worse.

“What did you see?!” she shouted at him and Sasuke looked back towards the beach, seeing if anyone was reacting to the raised voice now coming from just within the threes. He didn’t know exactly what she remembered from his genjutsu or if she had known that he was there at all. Clearly, based on her now wild, furious and potentially frightened expression, she wasn’t sure on what had just happened, or what Sasuke had been able to delve from her mind.

Not wanting to spend even a second longer standing there, he turned quickly on his heel and began to march back towards the beach, not saying a word.

“What did you see?!” she screamed again, voice resounding loudly through the forest, but based on the volume, she wasn’t following him. He continued to practically speed march his way from the canopy until he was back on the beach, the blue sway of the ocean before him.

He didn’t need to look directly at the group to know that they knew something was up; Azula’s voice would certainly have carried that far and he could feel their stares on the side of his head. He was used to being peered at like some grotesque specimen, but there was an expectancy to the gazes now that felt almost overpowering. Gritting his teeth, he turned his back on them and began to march down the beach away from the camp. He made it a few dozen yards before he felt quite exhausted all of the sudden, as though he had just stood up too quickly and had the blood rush to his head. The world swayed in front of him and his eyelids became exceptionally heavy then, and he reached out for a purchase that wasn’t there before collapsing onto his behind, world flashing in front of him like some kind of abstract drawing.

The next thing he knew, there was a hand behind his head, pulling him up. Slowly, the beach, the water and the sky swam steadily back into view in front of him and he swallowed, a harsh dryness in his throat making the act somewhat difficult.

“You just had to go and pry, didn’t you?”

The voice that he heard was one of the last he would have expected to hear and he looked up to see that he was being helped into a sitting position by none other than Ty Lee, who was looking down at him with the most cagey expression. He looked over her shoulder to see that Azula too had come out of the woods and had marched angrily in the opposite direction he had, Zuko and Mai trailing after her, trying to get her to stop with no avail.

Swallowing again, Sasuke tried to stand, but made it only a ways up before dropping back down to the sand with a wince as his vision blurred again.

“Easy now,” Ty Lee’s voice came, speaking with a softness he wouldn’t have expected her to be capable of with him. “Drink this.”

From one of the gourds that were being used as makeshift bottles, she tipped some water into his mouth that went down his throat with a cool rush that almost instantly refreshed him. He closed his eyes and let her hold him for a few more moments before summoning his strength and getting to his feet without so much as a stumble. He looked back towards the others a hundred feet away and even from that far away, he could see Katara's glare. Chuckling and feeling much more in control, he started back over towards them before Ty Lee grabbed his upper arm with a powerful vice grip.

“What happened?” she said in a low voice that sounded distantly threatening. He turned back to regard her face and could see the fear that was still ruling her, masked just behind the anger in her eyes.

“I passed her on my way to take care of my own business and she confronted me about earlier, guess she still hasn't forgiven me for those comments,” Sasuke lied. It was as believable a lie as any he had told before and she seemed to buy it with a slow nod as she released him. Without another word, he turned back and began to walk again.

“Hey, Sasuke?”

Ty Lee's voice slipped as though she had tried to cut herself off, mid query. Without looking back, he stopped walking, as open a gesture as he cared to manage.

“Make sure she comes back, okay?” Ty Lee muttered quietly as though embarrassed she was having to ask him for a favor. Sasuke only grunted in reply before walking alone back to the camp. He remembered Ty Lee and Mai getting after him and telling him how damaged Azula was, but he wondered if they had any idea how truly deep that her psyche actually went.


	13. Chapter 13

** Chapter 13: Whipped by Torchlight **

The tents, lights and crowds extended along the coast for a distance that was impossible to measure by eye. Laughing, talking and shouting echoed all around as countless festivalgoers walked about every which way. Firebending performers put on spectacular displays almost everywhere that one looked and with at least half of the population dressed in some kind of costume, it was an explosion of color no matter where you looked.

Sasuke hated it.

It was entirely too cramped, too loud and too festive for his liking. He supposed he might have suspected this on the long flight to this side of the island, but his preoccupation for how crucial his mission was kept thoughts of the actual event far from his mind.

He stood at a junction between a long strip of tents that sported food, games and other vendors, watching as the ceaseless torrent of indulgent vacationers and tourists washed over the sand past him. Though he stood in the front of his small group, he felt hardly at all then like he wanted to play the part of leader; rather, he would have liked to wander to the treeline where the lights of the festivities flickered out against and hide in the dark until it was time to move. Fortunately, he had unwillingly brought along others to whom that duty wasn’t as foreboding.

“Alright, girls,” Suki intoned in a leveled voice. “We’ve got a job to do and the faster we get it done the better.”

Sasuke turned to face his three companions. Azula looked like how he felt: utterly at odds with being forced into this sort of situation regardless of the circumstances. Toph looked mildly nervous, though he supposed that with her extra sensitive sense of feeling, the marching of all these people probably felt like an earthquake. Suki was the only one who seemed not only stable to the scenario, but confident as well. Sasuke could see an almost excited fire in her eyes as though the idea of an undercover mission such as this was something she had been waiting for quite a while.

“Follow my lead. Sasuke, do that moping and broody thing that you do and stick close behind us. I’ll do what I can to keep us moving, but Toph you’re going to need to do your best to monitor anything suspicious you might feel.”

The blind girl rubbed the sole of her bare foot on the ground. “Like a needle in a haystack.”

Suki looked at her sympathetically. “I know, just do what you can. And Azula…”

She paused for a moment as though taken very much aback at the sudden realization she was addressing the daughter of the Fire Lord as a member of her team.

“Keep your eyes open for any of those people you mentioned. Any sign of someone who might be involved with the chief advisor, give me a pinch and I’ll slow us down and find a spot to evaluate how to proceed, based on where we are and how many people we’re talking about.”

Sasuke was distantly impressed. It was clear during the relatively quiet flight over that she had spent a good deal of time thinking out how best to approach the mission itself.

Azula growled from where she stood with her arms crossed, “You said follow your lead, what exactly does that—”

A curse flew from the princess’s lips as Suki grabbed her and Toph’s wrists and pulled them into the throngs of people, her previously stern demeanor vanishing as she giggled like a proper drunk. Bobbing and weaving her way through the crowd, she pointed and laughed at just about everything, blending in with other partaking women her age almost instantly. Sasuke nearly forgot his job to follow, but he did so, moving around people that he could and shouldering aside those whom he couldn’t.

It was both rather humorous and unsettling just how much Toph and Azula’s acting contrasted with Suki’s; on one hand, Toph was doing a good job laughing, but her expression hardly reflected how she sounded as though a knife was at her throat while someone had just told a properly funny joke. And on the other, Azula was cackling to a point of almost being _too_ festive. As though she were being tickled by a horde of invisible hands, she outdid Suki’s mock giggling at every turn, though it almost sounded unnatural, like she didn’t quite know _how_ to laugh. At one point, Suki turned back and caught Sasuke’s eye, looking worried, but he shook his head to deter her concern. There were plenty more people acting far more obnoxious and noisy than Azula’s strange attempt at eliciting happiness.

They trekked the beach for near an hour with nothing that spoke of success and as they saw a break in the tents with a set of standing tables nearer the water’s edge, Suki gestured them over to it. The dark of night made the ocean before them seem invisible with the only proof of its existence being with the flicker of the orange fires bouncing off its surface. Sasuke looked back to see if they had been followed, but they remained alone on the beach, twenty yards or so from the festivities.

As fireworks went up with sparkling, heavy thuds above them, Suki spoke, breathing heavily. “We’ve almost reached the end of the festival grounds. No sign of anyone?”

She directed this at Azula who shook her head; the princess was also taking in deep gulps of air and when she spoke, her voice cracked with dryness. “Not one. It’s possible he’s at the other end, or he may have not arrived yet.”

Looking back at the myriad of tents they had walked past, she looked doubtful. “But he should have been here by now.”

Suki watched her carefully and Sasuke knew exactly what the warrior was thinking; if Azula was hoping to betray them, the first thing she ought do was make sure that her father’s people weren’t alerted to their presence to ensure a swift end to their infiltration of the festival. Eventually, she seemed to decide that it was pointless to try and decipher any hidden meaning on Azula’s face and slapped her palms on the table in a gesture of finality.

“I’m going to go get us something to drink,” she said, and walked back to reenter the current of people, disappearing from view. There was a moment of silence between the remaining three of them that Sasuke didn’t realize was awkward until Toph spoke up with an edge to her voice that was unmistakable.

“Sure is weird, that we haven’t seen a single sign of him or anyone that was close to him. Almost like he’s invisible here.”

The lofty and accusatory tone couldn’t be missed and Sasuke closed his eyes as Azula seemed to fire up all at once.

“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but there isn’t exactly a small pool to sift through. He could be anywhere, and we’ve only made one pass along the beach,” she snapped.

“Well I sure would appreciate it if you’d try a little harder. At this rate, we’re going to waste the night away and I’m getting pretty tired of pretending to be in a good mood.”

“Yeah I can tell that’s pretty hard for you to manage period,” Azula retorted and Toph seemed to swell with indignation.

“At least I know what good moods are, princess! You ever had a moment where you weren’t so totally full of hate and violence? Oh wait, probably not since you’re staking a career on ruining lives.”

Azula’s face took on a heated snarl and Sasuke sighed; this wasn’t going to be conducive to succeeding in their mission any faster and he raised his hands.

“Alright, you two, why don’t we take it back a—”

As though they had both been suddenly possessed by the same entity, both girls turned to face him, shouting as one, “Shut up!!”

He did so and watched as they looked at one another in disbelief.

“Don’t you talk to him like that, tunnel rat!” Azula snapped.

“Oh what, you’re the only person who can tell him to be quiet?! This isn’t your royal palace, your majesty!” Toph shouted back.

Sasuke looked back towards the vendors and crowds, hoping this fight wasn’t something that was going to be overheard and was relieved to see only Suki returning with refreshments. He took his as she approached and drained it; Suki looked at him curiously.

“Thirsty, huh?”

He nodded, “I guess listening to these two chew each other’s heads off dries me out.”

Suki then seemed to notice that Azula and Toph were looking resolutely away from one another, their faces still pulled back in scowls. She sighed. “I guess we should get back to it then.”

As Sasuke waited for the three of them to finish their drinks, Sasuke turned his head back towards the crowd as there was a swell in volume. A small mob seemed to be pulling their way past the tents and vendors, torches clutched as they cheered and chanted their way past. There was a moment where Sasuke thought he could spot someone being dragged along through their midst, bound in chains.

“What was that?” Toph asked as the noise and ruckus moved along towards the other end of the shore.

“That,” Azula said through gritted teeth, “was probably Shen.”

“Who’s that?” Suki inquired and Azula made a disdainful noise.

“Every year at this festival, the most notorious criminal the Fire Nation has captured is brought here to be publicly humiliated and punished before being sent back to the capital for execution. It’s a chance for the common folk to be given an opportunity to put a face to a severe threat to the Fire Nation. My grandfather started this practice sixty or so years ago.”

Toph seemed to have forgotten all about her feud and looked at Azula curiously. “What’s going to happen to him?”

Azula shrugged her shoulders. “Shen was a spy for the Earth Nation, he passed a lot of secrets about our military might to Ba Sing Se before he was caught. He’s been rotting in Boiling Rock for a few weeks, but now his time is up. They might whip him, burn him, and then drag him through the crowd to the first ship to the capital. He’ll be lucky to even survive until then.”

Suki looked thoroughly disgusted. “That’s horrible.”

Azula’s eyes only shown with a distant, fiery malice. “He’s a traitor. He deserves all that’s coming to him and worse.”

The four of them stood in silence for a while, all likely with vastly different thoughts, before Sasuke gave their table a gentle slap. “Alright, well let’s move.”

They had only just begun to push their way back into the crowd when Azula reached out and grabbed Sasuke’s hand. He felt a rush of warmth that had nothing to do with the actual heat of the evening air rush through his gut before she gestured ahead of them.

“There. That’s one of his bodyguards.”

A slender man with a long, thin beard was awkwardly taking a tray of food from one of the vendors and beginning to move back towards where Sasuke and his small troop had initially entered the festival.

“You’re sure?” Suki asked and Azula nodded intently.

“Let’s tail him, see where he takes us,” Sasuke intoned quietly and the four of them started up their façade of a procession again. Trying to ignore the phony giggles from the young women in front of him, Sasuke tried to focus as best he could on the man they were following. If he could manage it, a quick genjutsu might tell him all he need to know, but it would hardly be an inconspicuous act. On the other hand, if he was able to get close enough, a kunai at the man’s back might prove incentive enough for him to take them immediately to where he might find the advisor. But he knew these were really nothing more than wishful thoughts; for this to go off without a hitch, he would have to use that patience that so often eluded him and—

Sasuke grimaced as a child running around at a height approximate to his waist went slamming into his right side. The kid spiraled away, nearly falling to the ground and Sasuke turned to him, expecting the child to burst into tears and throw an entirely new wrench into this already risky situation.

Instead, the kid flashed him a toothy grin. “Sorry mister!”

Sasuke only stared as someone back the way they had come called out, “Tom-Tom, watch where you’re going! You’re going to hurt yourself!”

“Okay, mom!” the kid hollered and ran to her side a dozen feet away. Sasuke watched as the woman and her child joined another small group of people lingering by another tent. The most noticeable person was a rather vain looking man with long features and shoulder length hair. His eyes tracked the child’s movements back the way he had come before he looked up at Sasuke.

Their eyes remained locked on one another for a few moments, with people milling about around them carelessly, before Sasuke realized he was looking at the Boiling Rock prison warden.

It wasn’t lost on him that the warden seemed to have recognized him too. As the man’s eyes widened and his mouth slowly fell agape, Sasuke turned to follow after his companions and, alleviating himself from his part as the moping older brother, he rushed up between Suki and Azula, who stopped their own act and looked at him with Toph just ahead of them slowing down to listen in.

“Boiling Rock warden. He saw me.”

Suki inhaled sharply but her face betrayed no sudden alarm. Azula on the other hand grit her teeth and looked back before Sasuke took her chin and pointed her back forward.

“Don’t look back. Just keep moving.”

But even as he said this, Toph tugged at his arm looked worried. “There’s a whole lot of movement behind us.”

In utter hypocrisy of the gesture he had just imposed on Azula, Sasuke looked back. With the warden behind them, a small troop of Fire Nation soldiers numbering at about eight or nine were making quick progress through the crowd behind them, the lead soldier barking out for people to move aside. They were a couple dozen yards back, but gaining.

Suki’s face reflected that her mind was racing furiously. “This is okay, we just have to stay calm.”

“We’re going to have to split up. They follow me, I can make sure the three of you don’t get spotted as well,” Sasuke growled. She looked at him in confusion and dismay.

“We can’t do that! You take off and there’s a chance we won’t ever see you again!”

“And that’s such a bad thing?” Sasuke asked and she looked at him with something like indignation and hurt. But before she could so much as manage a retort, Azula grabbed both their forearms and pulled them close as they came to a halt, Toph colliding with Sasuke.

“When I move, run on ahead.”

She pointed forwards at the advisor’s guard. “With this, he’ll have no choice but to run back to the chief advisor and let him know the news. Tail him and you’ll get your man.”

And then, before Sasuke even had a chance to ask what she was talking about, Azula turned away from them, wiping away a good deal of her face paint on her sleeve. Running over to the busiest vendor in sight, she leapt on top of the counter, fire spouting from her open palms. Sasuke watched as the soldiers that had been coming after them turned to look at the spectacle she was putting on.

“I am Princess Azula!” she crowed almost triumphantly as the crowd immediately around her quieted and turned to stare. “All of you are utter fools for believing my father will lead you on the righteous path forward! I have defied him and have been labeled a traitor, but the only traitors I see are the incompetent sheep around me who haven’t even the thoughts to think for themselves!”

_Oh no._

As the armored men closed in, Sasuke found himself backing away as soldiers and civilians alike began to circle in around Azula. He bumped into Suki who caught him by the arm, giving him a deeply frightened look. Toph’s mouth was agape as they stared at Azula’s display.

“What do we do?!” she hissed furiously. “We can’t just leave her!”

“We have to,” Toph whispered, sounding almost in a trace.

Suki glared down at her before quietly exploding. “Look, I don’t know exactly what’s going on between you and her, but just because you’re sporting some nasty differences doesn’t mean you have to be okay letting her take the fall like this and potentially—”

“She’s right,” Sasuke said quietly and they both turned to him. He watched as Azula looked around with a wild look in her eyes as the soldiers pushed through the throngs of bewildered people and found himself clenching his fists in anger.

This shouldn’t have been such a difficult choice.

* * *

Azula felt as though she were in some kind of trance as she was pulled from the counter and was shoved roughly to the ground. The captain of the guard that had led the soldiers over to her looked down with an astonished look in his eye.

“Picked a hell of time to come out of hiding, your highness.”

She was yanked roughly to her feet and her arms were pulled behind her back as she felt the cold iron of binders clamped over her hands. It struck her then that she had just in a single moment been rendered powerless; the binders that she was currently restrained with were Fire Nation make exclusively, the restriction of movement they offered made it so that any benders would be ineffective at wielding their natural element. Azula was by no means a physically weak person without her bending, but as her hands were clasped in these metal restraints, she suddenly realized how relatively vulnerable she had just been made, just at the snap of some cuffs.

The warden pushed past the soldiers and looked down at her with both an angry and mystified expression. His garb suggested that he was very much here on a leave of absence himself, but his attitude revealed he had absolutely no difficulty reverting to his traditional ways. Azula couldn’t help but remember how low he had bowed to her when she had arrived at the prison only in the weeks prior, how respectful he had been. Now, it was as though she were just another common criminal, though his expression told her that he was still both wary and tense at her mere presence.

“Your majesty,” he bowed low to her before straightening, distaste etched into his features. “What a tragic disappointment.”

“Warden,” Azula replied, equally as revolted. “I think you’re out of your league with this one. Perhaps you ought to go back to your prison and play house with the rest of those pushovers.”

She knew how seriously he took his job and this seemed to push his buttons just fine and he flared up immediately. But instead of addressing her back, he turned towards the crowd of people that had come to gather around and spoke to them broadly.

“Citizens of the Fire Nation how blessed we are to have one of the most despicable traitors of all our history grace us this evening! It seems that after she attempted to assassinate her own father, she couldn’t resist a last insult to his good name!”

 _Is that what they’re telling everyone,_ Azula thought. It hadn’t occurred to her that it was entirely possible a completely fabricated story had come out in favor of her father, branding her as a backstabbing defector to her own nation.

“On this most important night, we were granted Shen the spy as our apostate to be punished for his crimes, but with such an appealing alternative, perhaps this night will have two individuals brought before the people to be repaid for their transgressions!”

Azula felt her pulse quicken as she realized what the warden was talking about.

“You can’t treat me like a lowly peasant who betrayed the nation behind closed doors!” she snapped at him angrily. “It is my father’s judgement and his alone to decide what to do with—”

His eyes suddenly coming alive with sudden fury, the warden rushed up to her, seizing her throat. As she cut off with a gasp, he whispered into her ear words only for her to hear.

“My niece has been branded a traitor and a criminal because of your actions. She will never be able to live the life of nobility and lawfulness that awaited her, and I hold you responsible. This is just as much for me as anyone else.”

He relinquished his hold on her and she coughed bitterly; ahead of her the warden gestured forward.

“To the pillory!!”

With an earsplitting roar, Azula looked around to see that the people who had come to attend the festival and who had just witnessed her arrest now bore looks of the deepest contempt; it was as though in mere moments, the happy and celebratory attitudes had been snatched aside and replaced with the desire only to see the traitors of their country punished. With a yank on her restraints, she fell to the ground before being pulled up and dragged along roughly as jeers and chants sounded all around her.

Azula felt herself in a near sunned state, just barely able to comprehend what was happening. She didn’t know exactly what she had expected to happen as a result of her actions to buy Sasuke a very useful distraction, but now faced with whatever was to come, bearing the full hate of the now hundreds of people milling around her, she could feel herself growing deeply anxious.

Eventually, the crowd broke apart and she could see clearly ahead of her. An area on the beach had been cleared whereupon a raised wooden platform stood six or so feet from the ground. On it, a wooden stake was raised, jutting at the starry sky above, metal shackles protruding at about waist height. As Azula realized what exactly she was looking at, she swallowed and began to struggle, but her captors were much larger and stronger than her and she was dragged along without much trouble. Remembering that she could also channel firebending with her feet, she made to lash out with kicks, but the moment one of her legs lifted, a guard slammed a fist into her thigh, drawing it into numbness and causing her to gasp with pain. She turned to the warden as her eyes watered with pain, desperation making it into her voice then.

“The Fire Lord will have your head for this!!”

He turned to sneer at her. “Then I’d better make this count.”

Feeling astounded at how quickly this entire situation had changed, she looked about to see a now raging crowd of angry and spiteful faces, their voices all merging into a booming roar that sounded all around her. As she was led towards the pillar, several more guards broke the circle of people, dragging a scrawny and unkempt young man between them; the warden approached the soldiers as they did so.

“What happened?” he growled, not loud enough for the nearer spectators to hear. Looking even more embarrassed, the first of the men replied sheepishly.

“Shen made a break for it.”

The warden stared at them in displeasure. “He made a break for it.”

The man seemed to adopt a defensive look at that point. “We brought him back!”

Azula looked over at Shen and he looked back to her; his expression was tired and he didn’t seem to have much of a reaction to seeing her. She could have expected him to be happy to see her in such dire straits; after all, she had been one of the most prominent voices in calling for his execution only weeks ago. But he just looked at her with a dark expression, his eyes black pits of unfeeling before looking down and away from her.

“Put him aside for now. We’ll make a show of him after this.” The warden said and the men who had carried Shen over looked to her and their expressions fell into that of utter shock.

“This way!” At the urging of the warden, Azula’s captors drug her towards the stairs that led up to the pillar; fear starting to set in now, she dug her heels into the sand and began to writhe against them. Had her hands not been sealed, her firebending would have been enough to utterly obliterate these fools, but without it, her struggling was little more than wishful thinking.

As she was brought to the top of the wooden stand, Azula was pushed up against the pillory and the bindings that held her hands were chained to it at about the height of her stomach. Suddenly taking in that she was now utterly and completely vulnerable, she tried to keep her breathing steady. The crowd that had gathered seemed to have grown, faces lit by the torch stands that dotted the strip of shore and the fireworks that still boomed overhead. As she watched, she saw several families usher their children away as to not bear witness to what was about to happen; the rest of the faces were not but hateful and eager.

The warden walked up with his back to her, raising his hands towards the people. This gesture only slightly quelled their angry hysteria, but enough to allow himself to shout over the noise they produced.

“My friends, tonight we are joined by two of the most wretched enemies of our glorious Fire Nation. Not born from other nations, not enemies from beyond our walls, these two were brought up in the very heart of our nation and sought to destroy it.”

The crowd yelled furiously.

“Now we are granted a chance to see that treachery repaid. It will not be enough for the damage inflicted, but now, we may be given a chance to see some satisfaction granted for our joint suffering at the hands of these two vile people!”

He turned and pointed at Azula.

“Our very own princess! The daughter of Fire Lord Ozai by whom she was granted every liberty, luxury and chance to serve our nation! Now, she seeks to destroy all that has bestowed this fortune upon her.”

Gesturing to the guards, Azula grit her teeth as they dug their hands into her clothes, ripping open her garb and exposing her back to the warm night air. She felt a roiling of chills pass down her spine as the warden was handed a long black coil of cord that he unraveled as he looked at her insidiously.

“Guards, pick out some lucky volunteers!”

Several men jogged down the creaky wooden steps and began pulling people about who were flailing and gesturing, desperate to be chosen. After several moments, a line of a couple dozen people had formed at the base of the steps. The warden looked at them all and uncurled the lash which gave the surrounding crowd pause as they waited in eager anticipation.

A cold sweat had broken out across Azula’s entire body as she came to distantly accept what was about to happen. Her pride kept her from trying to plead her case, though the curses and insults she wanted to shout couldn’t seem to make their way to her tongue either. The harsh orange glow of the torches seemed to bear down against her with a burning, oppressive heat, a heat she should have been able to control. Her heart slammed against her chest at the thought of the impending pain and abruptly, she found herself looking about the faces that glared up at her, trying to find Sasuke’s.

_Are you watching? Are you seeing what I’m willing to do for the good of what you want? For you?_

Surely this would be enough for him to know that she was impassioned with him and his plight. She wasn’t the angsty, spoiled royalty that he presumed her to be. Azula was prideful, but had no reservation in making the sacrifices necessary to—

The first strike caught her entirely by surprise and as the crack of the whip snapped its brutal sound against her ears and the crowd roared in approval, she groaned and arched her back, the pain feeling less like the sting she had expected and more like a hot iron had just been laid across her back.

“Well done!” the warden was shouting as the first person to have swung the whip, a middle-aged woman, walked past her to descend the other set of stairs on the other side of the scaffolding, spitting in Azula’s face as she passed by. “Next!”

The wait was just a moment too long and Azula looked back just in time to see the shadowy curve of the lash against the glow of the stars before it came down against her right shoulder and pulled down across her skin. She was able to keep from crying out this time but she shook where she stood chained. The agony was unlike anything she could have expected.

Another spit and another cry of “Next!” and her again it felt like her back was being peeled open; Azula looked skyward and yelled in pain. Around her the crowd cheered ravenously, utterly unmoved by the distress of another human being.

 _I’m not a human being to them though,_ she realized as her mind spun at the torment being laid upon her. _I’m a stain upon their vision of a perfect nation._

Another blow and she screamed this time, the verbal expulsion providing her with a meek measure of respite. She had never been subjected to this level of affliction before and her mind was having trouble dealing with it. Thoughts of Sasuke were few and far between as she was flogged by the people she so sought to champion. Every strike drew another cry from her and every roar of the crowd pushed her mind into further distress.

_It can’t last forever. It can’t, it can’t, it can’t…_

She became aware then that there was a voice shouting loud and hoarsely above even the cacophonous cheering of the spectators.

“Is this what you people call justice?! Torture at the hands of a mob without even the slightest regulation or authoritative overwatch?!”

Her eyes blurring with tears of pain, Azula pulled in a shaky breath and looked to see that Shen had broken free of his captors and was raising his hands before the crowd as he hollered at them. The warden had waved back the guards and was watching Shen’s pleas with silent amusement.

Shen continued, “You people are told a story and believe it, without even getting a chance to hear the other side?! Are you that deluded into thinking that things are always how they are told to you?!”

“I’m sorry, Shen, but I feel that your moral grandstanding, or at least I assume that’s what you think you’re doing, isn’t going to work on these people,” the warden called out and laughter billowed out from the congregating mob. Shen didn’t seem put off by this and pointed wildly at the warden.

“You take control of this situation like it’s your right to even do so!! But there is no appropriate authority here!! No one close enough to the Fire Lord to condone this type of punishment wrought on his own daughter!!”

Azula found herself distantly surprised that Shen would seek to defend her in such a way at all, particularly after how she had so gone after him during his trial. But she supposed that this stalling was just as much for his own good as hers.

“Can you claim to know the Fire Lord well enough to say that this is what he would want?!”

He looked at the warden expectantly and for a moment, the older man looked thrown off and angry at this interruption and open insult to his character. But before he could so much as muster a reply, another voice called out from the crowd, a reedy, yet commanding tone.

“I can.”

The crowd parted for a balding, older man to step free of the circle, surrounded by six bodyguards, one of which Azula remembered from earlier carrying a tray of food. And as the warden bowed low to the man and his soldiers followed suit, Azula looked at the man who had spoken up and was looking at her now with a similar disdain to those around him. In that moment, she drew up her strength and shouted in a raspy and broken voice, her tone shattered from her previous screaming; still, she cried out with all the effort she could muster.

“That’s him!!! Sasuke, that’s him!!!”

And all of the sudden, a great many things happened. Shen rushed forward quiet suddenly and grabbed the arm of the chief advisor with astonishing speed, yanking him towards the center of the clearing. As his guard made to retrieve him and subdue Shen, several boulders fell from the night sky and pinned several of them and crushing the rest outright. Shen threw the chief advisor to the sandy ground and drew back a deep breath before blowing out a massive wave of fire that exploded upwards, creating a thick wall of flame between the crowd and pillory. Screams from beyond echoed the fear of that same crowd that had been so eagerly watching the torture not moments before and screams of pain from those caught too close to the fire.

Someone came rushing up the stairs then, scattering the citizens who had been waiting their turn with the whip and reached the guards beside the warden as quick as a breeze. Azula watched as Suki stuck a knife first in the throat of the guard nearest her and when his companion made to retaliate with a fireball, she shoved the first guard into him causing his attack to fly awry. Before he could prepare to unleash a second, Suki had stabbed him through the chest with a spear she had commandeered from another soldier.

All at once, Azula found herself alone with Suki and the now quivering warden that she was holding a blade to.

The Kyoshi warrior snarled in a low tone, “I should have finished you when I had the chance.”

The warden only raised his hands and dropped to his knees, shaking with fright, all pretense of a controlling and powerful image gone. The stairs squeaked again as another person came charging up them and Azula saw Toph join the three of them, looking panicked and out of breath.

“Suki, where is he?!” the earthbender cried out in worry and Suki looked around to gesture towards where a furious mob had been assembled not moments before. Azula followed her eyes to see Shen dragging the chief advisor’s struggling form towards the pillory stand. But as Azula looked, she saw that it wasn’t Shen at all; Sasuke himself was hauling his prize forwards, his face smeared with a look of bitter satisfaction.

 _He_ had _been here,_ she thought, relieved that her show of dedication hadn’t been for naught.

“Watch him, will you?” Suki asked and Toph moved to stand in front of the warden, her arms crossed, no doubt ready to bring down the force of the earth on this man should he try anything. Suki moved over to where Azula stood restrained and began working on her bindings.

As she was freed, Azula was distantly aware of the seeping, wet warmth that seemed to be flowing outward from her back and the sudden physical exhaustion that had come of her ordeal. She had been openly humiliated and punished by nothing more than the common rabble, a thought that weeks ago might have been enough to bring bile to her mouth in disgust. But now, this was all buried beneath a single, relieving fact that she found herself muttering as Suki undid her bindings and eased her gently to the wooden paneling beneath them. The girl looked down at her, eyes concerned.

“Don’t talk now, princess, just relax…”

But Azula wasn’t listening. Moments before she closed her eyes and passed into fitful unconsciousness, she gave a final quiet murmur of the words that she had been chanting like a mantra since they had appeared moments ago in her head:

“He saw it.”

It was a euphoric sentence, a beautiful thought, as she closed her eyes and slipped away.

“He saw me.”

* * *

Sasuke found that he had to keep his hands shaking from the suddenness of it all; in a matter of minutes, a great many things had happened that he was having trouble wrapping his head around all at once.

First and foremost, the chief advisor was in his grasp, quite literally. He now had access to the perfect person who could tell him Ozai’s whereabouts and could finally usher him on a certain path forward. This should have been cause for nothing short of reserved mental celebration, but there was no joy in Sasuke’s heart.

On the other hand, the mission had come under serious fire and the risk level was only going to grow as the panicked crowd fled beyond his wall of flame and other Fire Nation battalions and ships were alerted. Sasuke had already failed in a sense; Aang and his company would likely have to reassess their hiding place as a result of this instant publicity.

As he marched up the wooden steps, the advisor bouncing unwillingly behind him, he saw that Azula had fallen unconscious in Suki’s arms, her garments torn open in the back which revealed the deep and scarlet lacerations that had been dealt to her. Blood had pooled at their feet and was soaking the boards beneath them.

_She didn’t need to do that._

Sasuke repeated this thought in his head, not for the first time. From what he knew of Azula, she was far smarter than to risk what she had. Should circumstances had been different, she could have suffered much worse, perhaps even been killed. Sasuke himself had broken his transformation jutsu just to throw a last-ditch effort to try and force the chief advisor from hiding that had managed to work. But that success only met him with more mental consternation: he shouldn’t have cared that Azula was being tortured, he should have been content to wait until the opportunity was perfect, not risk his own cover like that. Why had he done something so stupid himself? Why had Azula?

He remembered what Ty Lee had asked begrudgingly of him before he had left, he remembered Mai’s words and her vague warnings. He even thought hesitantly to his own feelings towards the princess, feelings he wasn’t even sure he wanted to confront, but nothing gave him the answer he sought.

Dropping the chief advisor unceremoniously next to the warden, he looked to Suki and she returned his gaze, giving him a nod. Her expression was still stern and calm, and he found himself liking her even more; he was glad she had come along to provide what had turned out to be entirely necessary backup.

Then, he looked at Toph and had to keep himself from wincing.

The girl’s chest was heaving, her hands curled into fists that shook at her side as she seemed to be doing everything in her power to keep from snapping. There was a stain of blood on her sleeve and stomach that fortunately didn’t appear to have come from her, but the anxiety and stress that had clearly been laid upon her as a result of the turn the mission had taken were apparent.

_She shouldn’t have come._

Ever thankful that she couldn’t see him staring regretfully at her, Sasuke looked at Toph, deep in thought. He shouldn’t have allowed her to join the mission, her of all people. His actions in the minutes prior had done nothing but exacerbate the danger; they could have continued to tail the advisor's guard, but he had run ahead and snuck in as Shen's double after knocking the prisoner out and hiding him behind a tent. He had broke cover far too early at Azula's cries and it had been smooth, but it could have easily gone any other way. Even if she had been furious with him, even if she had outright come at him with violence as a result, she had been put in danger, and Sasuke was responsible.

_Why do I even care?_

Even as he thought the question in his head both dismissively and disdainfully, however, he knew that he did care. Perhaps badly.

“How is she?” was the first question out of his mouth as he turned his gaze back to Suki and the whipped girl she was currently examining. She looked up to him with a strained expression, but her words were fortunately more positive than that.

“She’ll live. She didn’t pass out at the blood loss, at least. Katara will have to look her over, but I can patch her up well enough until we get back to camp.”

When she surely noticed Sasuke’s persistent eyes, she gave him a reassuring nod. “I’ve seen people shake off a lot worse than this, Sasuke. Hell, what happened to her here won’t be much compared to what you did to her before.”

For some reason, Sasuke wanted to shoult angrily at her then to shut her mouth, but he withheld. He instead queried, “And you?”

Suki waved at him almost scornfully. “Not a scratch.”

From there, Sasuke turned his attention carefully to Toph who was still looked like she waiting for someone to walk up behind her and put a hot iron to the back of her neck.

“And you?”

Like a snake noticing danger, she snapped her head in his direction, practically barking, “What do you care?! You just had to go off and do things your way, didn’t you?! Suki said it would be smartest to go and follow the other one, but you just _had_ to go after Azula and risk everything in the process!! Always about doing things _your_ way, I guess, no mind what happens to anyone other than—”

Sasuke stepped in front of her and put his hands gently on her shoulders and she stopped talking immediately. He spoke sternly and coldly, “Are you injured, Toph?”

She ran her tongue over her lips almost breathlessly; there was clearly more she wanted to say, but after a moment, she swallowed it down and said, “No.”

Releasing her shoulders, Sasuke surprised her by giving her a soft, but firm punch to the chest. “Then get ahold of yourself. We’re not out of the woods yet.”

He stepped over to the warden and chief advisor like a fisherman eyeing a pair of less than appealing catches. Both of them had remained silent up until now, but both looked at him with worried, yet distantly challenging eyes. The warden, Sasuke had met before, but his eyes moved to the chief advisor then, the one he didn’t know.

He didn’t look at all like Sasuke had been expecting. He looked like he would be more at home on the sidelines of his children’s sports events, cheering them on, or walking a market square, looking for groceries for his family. There was a very fatherly look on his otherwise relatively young face and Sasuke homed in on that, making a stab in the dark.

“You want to see your family again?”

His bluff seemed to pay off swimmingly and the advisor’s expression morphed into one of pleading as rolled to his knees and bowed to him. “My children and wife are my entire world. I implore you to see mercy.”

Next to him, the warden sniffed loftily. “Don’t embarrass yourself, chief advisor. They’re just kids in over their heads, don’t go being fooled by—”

With no small amount of vindication, Sasuke drew a foot back and slammed his heel into the warden’s mouth. His enhanced senses felt several teeth give against his strike and the warden fell backwards mightily to crash to the floor.

“Quiet, old man. I’m the one talking here.”

The warden lay where he fell, clutching his face with muffled groans and Sasuke turned back to the advisor. Hoping that this could be done with minimal force, he crouched next to the man and cocked his head.

“Why is it you do what you do?”

The advisor’s face swam with confusion. “I’m… I’m sorry?”

“You work for Ozai,” Sasuke continued. “Your job isn’t one granted to many people and I’m sure you foster some level of loyalty as such. I want to know if that loyalty is placed more in your superior, or your nation itself.”

It seemed to dawn on the advisor then what Sasuke was talking about and after a moment of realization passed over his face, he lowered his head, his expression now regretful and resigned.

“I can’t tell you what you want to know.”

_Damn._

“This doesn’t have to be a painful process, chief,” Sasuke tried. “You tell me what I want to know and we beat feet out of here real quick and leave you to go home to hug your kids.”

A pang of hurt flashed over the advisor’s face and, sensing weakness, Sasuke pressed forward.

“Now, I know that you know a whole lot about the good ol’ Fire Lord. You get to know a bunch of stuff that no one else does, and you get to know it in confidence. I can respect that. But I need to know, right now, where Fire Lord Ozai is. Where is he holed up and where’s he planning to go next?”

He watched the advisor’s face go relatively blank and he waited for a reply. After something that might have been close to a minute, the man looked to him in very polite disbelief.

“You can’t truly expect me to give up the location of the most important man in our entire nation.”

A sting of impatience jabbed at Sasuke’s mind as he thought about getting a severely rattled Toph and a severely injured Azula out of there as quick as he could.

“Now, that’s where you’re wrong, chief, because that’s exactly what I expect,” he said curtly, letting some of his annoyance slip into voice. The chief advisor stared at him quietly for a moment longer before saying softly.

“I have to refuse.”

Sucking in a breath of air in agitation, Sasuke straightened and walked a few paces away. He had other options beyond forcing the truth from this man that were much less physically questionable, but they were elusive to him or altogether too time-consuming; he had distant stirrings that suggested a mind reading jutsu might be something he could use, but its specifics and coordination were not something his addled mind had access to. Forcing the man into a genjutsu might be overtly time consuming in trying to ease out this particular facet of knowledge. If the chief advisor was mentally strong, he could be at it for hours before making headway, and Sasuke knew they didn’t have that kind of time. Tapping his foot for a moment, he turned back, remembering a relatively pointless fact, but one that had slipped back into his memory pool in the previous days and one that he thought might be of use now.

“Do you know how many bones are in the human body, chief?”

The man looked up at him, face paling. Sasuke continued, “Two hundred and six. Maybe more than you might have thought. Now, I’m not inherently knowledgeable myself regarding human anatomy, but I imagine if I started at one, I could work my way through at least a few dozen with relative ease. Hear one snap, count one. Hear another snap, count two. And we can keep at it until we’re done with all two hundred and six. And if you’re _still_ holding out on me then, I’ve got a couple other ideas.”

While Sasuke had no intention of spending the time to break that many individual bones, he also knew that after snapping a few, the reality of the possibility might set in, and from there, the advisor might be willing to reevaluate his priorities. Sasuke gave him a few seconds before shrugging.

“Okay, time’s up.”

He stepped over and pulled the man’s left arm into his grip. He settled his grip on the advisor’s bicep, one hand at the top near the shoulder and the other further down near the elbow. With his gradually returning strength, breaking bones would be like snapping dead twigs.

“Wait!!”

The shout came just as he prepared to wrench the bone in opposite directions and Sasuke looked up in annoyance to see Toph looking at him, her expression having morphed from anger to panic.

“What?” he snapped as he listened to the chief advisor pant in frightened dread of his own.

“You’re… you’re not actually going to, right?”

Looking skyward in vexed dismay, Sasuke snarled curtly, “How is this any different from what they did to Azula? You think these people are to be pitied? Shown mercy? Toph, if they captured you, do you think they would hesitate, even for a moment, to pull out your fingernails, beat you like a war drum, and who knows what else to find out everything you know about Aang?”

Toph looked his way as she replied quietly, “And that makes this right?”

Sasuke shook his head and looked back to the arm he was about so crack in half. “I’ve given him an out. A very easy one and he’s chosen not to take it.”

Stepping forward, her expression and voice that cracked when she shouted betraying her nervousness and discomfort.

“And that makes this right?!” she repeated loudly and Sasuke looked at her, his temper flaring.

“It’s not about what’s right _now_!! It’s about what will be right in the _end_!!”

There was a brief crackle and then a splintering pop as the man’s bone was broken; his howl resounded against the crackling of the fire, and Sasuke stared at Toph’s now rigidly frightened expression.

“This is what it’s going to take!!”

Reaching forward, the forearm now shattered at his touch.

“This is what needs to be done!!”

“Sasuke…”

He drove his thumbs into the advisor’s hand and cracked open the bone nearest the thumb.

“Sasuke!”

“You think you’re going to win this war by trying to make friends with these people?! That Aang’s blind philosophy has any place in conflict such as this?!”

He moved his hands toward another joint in the hand before Suki’s voice rattled him from his now overpowering rage. Sasuke realized that she had said his name several times but it was only now as she grabbed his shoulder did he snap his head around and realize she had been addressing him.

“Sasuke, stop!! Listen to him!!”

It was then that Sasuke also noticed that amongst his pained screaming, the advisor had begun to rant off words that streamed together in sentences that were only somewhat coherent, but mixed with information nonetheless.

“He’s on his flagship, he’s biding time until the comet arrives, please, I don’t know anything else, he was sailing from the capital southward was all he mentioned to me, I don’t know anything else…”

These sparse but severely important details swam from his mouth over and over as it appeared the pain and breaking of his bones was putting him into something of a state of shock. Sasuke hadn’t even noticed that he was being granted what he wanted as he had sought to force his point down Toph’s throat. Swallowing, he released the advisor and the man dropped to the wooden deck, groaning and clutching at his now mutilated appendage; looking up to Suki, he tried to formulate some excuse as she glared at him.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t hear…”

“Are you finished??” was all she inquired angrily. Sasuke looked at the chief advisor, a man who until so recently had been the subject of almost all his thought, the next piece of this urgent and harshly important quest of his, now nothing more than a broken and scared man who had been doing his job. The warden was on the ground a little further away looking to be doing his best to not be noticed.

“Yeah, we’re done here.”

She gave a sharp nod and moved over to where she had lain Azula. She had worked makeshift bandages ripped from her own clothing to wrap around the princess and cover her lesions for the time being; as she knelt to lift Azula, Sasuke stepped forward.

“Here, let me…”

Effortlessly lifting Azula by hoisting her under her knees and neck, Suki shot him another glance. “I think you’ve done quite enough.”

She looked pointedly behind him before marching down the scaffolding and towards the forest where Appa would be waiting for them. Sasuke followed where she had been looking and was nearly knocked over as Toph went stomping past, wiping her face and sniffing heavily as she did. Her tears wouldn’t have stayed hidden from him and he could tell she was perhaps worse off now then when they had regrouped near the pillory. Watching his three companions walk swiftly back through the now deserted festival grounds, he turned to look at the advisor who looked like he had fainted and stepped over to look down at the warden. The man finally looked up at him, a wholehearted look of fear in his gaze.

Any pleasure Sasuke felt in slamming his heel into the warden’s face once more was swallowed by a staunch sense of guilt, a feeling he did his best to ignore. A part of him was urging him to take off after Toph and try and apologize, to calm her down and keep her from hating him too badly. He had been growing a positive relationship with her, and now, he might have squandered it.

_Wait. Why do I care?_

As he glared down at the two unconscious men before him with the full moon beating down above his head, he had to remind himself that he wasn’t here to get close with anyone, he was here to regain his memory and find the truth of himself.

It was _over_ a minute before he made to follow after his companions as the burning thought singed at his mind, just barely smothered by his thoughts of his own mission, that perhaps he wouldn’t mind growing nearer to at least a couple of his allies. Even Toph.

Especially Toph.

* * *

Toph didn’t feel Sasuke follow after her and Suki and she felt herself half-hoping he wouldn’t join them period. If he could just… _go_ and stop messing with her head so badly, this would hardly be such a difficult scenario for her, wouldn’t it? All he had done since his arrival was sow discord and create problems; truly, he was much more effort than they needed.

But despite the practicality of her mindset that she was trying to impose, Toph just couldn’t get over the fact that she didn’t _want_ Sasuke to leave. Through everything he was, and everything he did, she still couldn’t help but feel herself drawn to him. He was some kind of inexplicable gravity that just kept pulling and pulling on her, and she just couldn’t tell herself to turn away.

“Damn it all,” she muttered to herself, loud enough for Suki to hear her who was striding along with Azula just a few meters ahead of her. The Kyoshi inquired at the curse,

“Are you okay, Toph?”

Toph ran a hand through her mess of black hair and nodded miserably. “Yeah, sorry.”

They resumed walking in relative silence until they hit the treeline, and Toph felt the sand beneath her feet turn into brush and dirt. Then, Suki asked a question that brought an insatiable rush of warmth to Toph’s cheeks.

“Have you been crushing on him?”

She found herself sputtering over her own explanation, no doubt making a total mess of herself before Suki said gently. “It’s okay. I’m not trying to go after you like Katara might.”

Suki added as they walked deeper into the foliage and the warmth of all the torches that had littered the beach behind them faded away, “Unfortunately, he’s really cute. Any of the other girls would be able to tell you the same thing if they were willing to be honest. Katara and Ty Lee might pretend otherwise and Mai might lie for Zuko’s sake.”

“It’s crazy, I know,” Toph blurted out before nearly clapping a hand over her mouth at the fact that she had more or less just admitted to the crime she was charged with.

“I’m not going to tell you how to feel or what I think you should do,” Suki said, seeming entirely unjudgmental about the fact that Toph might have been falling for a potential sociopath. “But you need to be careful. Sasuke seems like the kind of guy who wouldn’t think twice about stepping over you to get where he’s going.”

_Somehow… I don’t think he is._

“Thanks, Suki.”

They resumed walking towards Appa and Toph felt the weight added to Suki’s steps that was the motionless form of Azula.

_I can’t believe she did that._

For what she had verbally accused Sasuke of, it really had come down to Azula’s brash actions that had forced the moment. It had been a move completely unlike her and it was possible Sasuke hadn’t noticed due to his limited time with her, but from being chased all across the four nations, Toph knew that Azula was not the type to do something uncalculated, something so totally risky. It hadn’t been her nature to avoid being shrewd and discreet, but for whatever reason, she had just put herself greatly in harm’s way for a reason that Toph couldn’t seem to discern.

 _That’s not true,_ she thought and grit her teeth. Of course she knew why Azula had done it. Everything the princess had done or said seemed to be a premeditated move to near herself to Sasuke or to instill her aid upon him. And as much as Toph didn’t want to even think about it, she was showing all the signs of the same feeling Toph had; Azula was just as infatuated with him as she was.

Toph kicked the ground bitterly as they walked on. And why would Sasuke choose her over Azula if given the choice? Toph was younger, less experienced, less… like him. Azula on the other hand was powerful, motivated, power-hungry and possessive; it would likely be a very easy choice, if that’s what it came down to.

_He doesn’t care about me, not really anyway. I’m just an emotional kid to him, someone who annoys him and who he can’t stand to be around. Anyone would take Azula over me, and he’s no exception, probably._

As they tread deeper into the woods, Toph found herself feeling an emotion much more frustrating than the usual disdain she normally felt for Azula, someone who had just shown a vast deal of loyalty and devotion to Sasuke through her ordeal, and whom surely was sitting relatively well in Sasuke’s good books.

She found she was actually very jealous of the princess.

* * *

Zuko sat under star and moonlight, watching Mai and Ty Lee spar in the surf washing up from the black ocean. Sokka had drifted off to sleep next to him which Zuko found odd; why wouldn’t he have stayed up and waited for Suki and the others to come back, which everyone else seemed to be doing? But then again, he had just taken a very spending trip and was surely exhausted, physically and emotionally after saying goodbye to his father yet again.

Zuko sighed and watched as the two young women jabbed and kicked at one another in their own way of passing the time while waiting for the shadow of Appa to descend from the sky and return their companions to them. Aang was taking an evening flight with Momo, surely hoping to catch a glimpse of their allies; it had been nearly seven hours, more than enough time for them to make the trip, carry out the mission and make it back. Zuko was doing his best to keep from going worried himself.

“You have a moment, Zuko?”

He turned to see Katara looking down at him with her arms crossed. In the moonlight, she was very striking, her thick hair flowing like a shadow behind her and her toned body glinting just barely. Zuko nodded and got to his feet, following her as she walked slowly along the beach. She too watched Ty Lee and Mai with him and it was several long seconds before she spoke, her voice measured and serious.

“Something’s going to happen tonight, Zuko.”

His mind immediately racing with what a statement like this could mean, he asked, “He won’t come back, will he? This was his chance and he’s going to take off and—”

Before he could go any further, Katara held up a hand and shook her head. “Actually, I made a deal with him. He’s _promised_ me he’d come back after the mission tonight.”

Zuko stared at her, now drawing a blank; why ever would Katara be opposed to being rid of him?

“How? Why?”

“I told him he could borrow Appa for this as long as he promised to come back for one more night,” she said and Zuko pushed the second part of his inquiry that hadn’t been answered.

“Why?”

Katara stared up at the beaming moon above them and a sinking feeling began to spread in Zuko’s stomach and as Katara started to talk, that feeling traveled throughout his entire body and he closed his eyes. It was stupid that he hadn’t seen something like this coming, but as Katara laid out what she intended to do, Zuko could only grit his teeth, wishing beyond wishing that there was another way forward.


	14. Chapter 14

** Chapter 14: Coming to a Head **

Katara stared up at the night sky, feeling the cool glow of the moon run through her body, washing her with strength, clarity and power. She would need all of it to carry out what she knew had to happen; Aang would surely resent her, Sokka would surely be furious that she hadn’t told him, and Toph… Katara didn’t even want to imagine what the earthbender would think of her after this. But these fretful thoughts were nothing short of wasteful. She had to succeed and to do so, that meant putting aside the feelings of her closest friends in order to do what she knew was right.

Somehow, she had been able to coerce him into returning once more after his venture to the festival and Katara, through some strange certainty, knew that he would keep his word. Appa would return with the same four people whom had left and from there, Katara could act. She had every intention of giving him the opportunity one last time to do what was right, but she knew Sasuke would never comply, and so it would fall to her to make the toughest choice she might ever have to make.

Katara looked down at her hands, relieved to see they weren’t shaking. Considering what she was planning, it wouldn’t have surprised her if some suppressed nerves were playing tricks on her mentality and ravaging her senses.

_Can I even do it?_

He would be at her mercy in an instant and from there, the longer she waited, the harder it would be. It would be painless, it would be practical and it would be quick. But no matter how many times she thought it over in her head, it would be nothing compared to what he was actually in front of her.

She turned her eyes down for an instant to see Zuko sitting a dozen meters from her, propped against a rock and staring at the ground sullenly. Katara felt guilt try and force its way into her thoughts for what she was asking him to do, but it would take his strength to back her up if something went wrong. Aang and Sokka would be next to useless, the former because of his trepidation that would surely arise when he realized what was happening and the latter because his lack of bending would make him entirely ineffective against someone like Sasuke. Mai and Ty Lee were the two that Katara was sure would back her up without even needing to communicate then situation; Ty Lee’s seemingly rich hatred for Sasuke and Mai’s protectiveness of Zuko would bring them to her side should the moment require it.

Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply through her nose, Katara listened to the gentle splashing of the ocean tide and the distant chirping of crickets in the forests’ depths. This would be hard, it might even be painful, but she knew what she had to do. For Aang, if no one else.

* * *

The moment he saw Appa’s telltale shape blotting out a portion of the star-studded sky, Aang’s stomach rocketed into his throat as he shot down hundreds of feet to the small camp they had made on the beach, hurriedly shouting, “Here they come!”

Sokka, who had been the only sleeping, shook himself awake and sat up. Mai and Ty Lee who had been sitting against a log, resting against one another were on their feet in an instant as Zuko slowly stood, looking almost remorseful for something. Katara kept her gaze on the sky, not even so much as acknowledging Aang’s return. Noting her dissociation, Aang slumped his shoulders and moved to sit down next to Sokka, trying not to feel too bitter.

Katara hadn’t seemed to so much as even pay him the slightest mind in recent days. All of her energy seemed to have fallen to staring daggers at Sasuke and keep watch over him with every waking moment she had. Aang had hoped that some kind of resolution might have been reached between them after they had spoken privately in the temple, but if anything, their relationship had seemed to have become even more strained, and had only been stressed further after Sasuke’s actions the previous night.

Aang sighed and grabbed the sides of his head. He hated even thinking about that.

On a certain level, he would forever resent and fear Sasuke for what he had seen. Just when it looked like he was finally willing to open up, he had gone and slaughtered dozens of people without even blinking. Aang knew that the natives had attacked first, but with all the power at his disposal, Sasuke could have handled it in a much more compassionate nature.

 _But that’s just the thing, isn’t it… maybe he and Azula really_ would _be perfect for each other._

It sickened him to even think about that, but he hadn’t failed to notice, as he was sure any of them had, that Azula seemed intently focused on Sasuke for one reason or another. Though that was probably only one reason and one that Aang was hesitant to even consider.

_What kind of kids would they pump out?_

That thought was enough to give him a shiver, but he was shaken from his thoughts as Appa’s form slowly coalesced out of the night sky and touched down a distance away. Before anyone could so much as move towards the flying bison, Suki leapt over the side of the massive saddle and hit the sand, a load of some kind in her arms.

“Katara!!”

Her voice shouted out, urgent and Aang realized it was a body in her arms. He snapped straight up as everyone save for him and Sokka rushed forward and he exchanged worried looks with Katara’s brother.

As they neared the light of the fire, Zuko shouted out, voice frightened, “What happened?!”

Aang could tell Azula’s lean frame and flowing dark hair from that distance and he slowly approached where the princess had been laid down gently on her stomach, her head turned towards the glow of the flames. He could see she was unconscious but as his eyes watched as Suki gingerly removed the cloth bandages that had wrapped over her back, he grimaced and turned away as Mai and Ty Lee both cried out.

Azula’s back looked like someone had taken a blade and very neatly slashed at it; long, straight lacerations numbered at least twenty or so as Katara silently washed the wounds that now were open to the night air. Ty Lee had her hands over her mouth and Mai looked like she was about to forced to break one of her own fingers. Zuko’s face was relatively calm but he had gone white as a sheet as he knelt next to his sister, pressing the back of his hand against her cheek. Slowly, he turned towards Suki and growled in a tone that spat of someone not to be trifled with.

“What. Happened.”

Though she didn’t look remotely intimidated by Zuko’s animalistic muttering, Suki nevertheless flashed him an empathetic face as she replied. Aang noticed that she looked like she had been through something of an ordeal herself, smears of ash and blood on her face and arms.

“We were compromised shortly after finding a lead to tail back to the chief advisor. A group of guards were rallied by the Boiling Rock warden...”

Mai interrupted, snapping her head to look at Suki with disbelief. “Wait. My uncle was at the festival?!”

Not looking remotely amenable to the familial connection, Suki fixed her with a tight glare. “Sure was. But he got off our backs when I guess Azula thought it was a good idea to break cover and oust herself in order to keep us in the clear.”

She turned her gaze back down to Azula’s savaged back as Katara gently ran water over it, ensuring it was cleaned properly.

“She jumped on a stand, made a big ruckus and got captured by the guards. I guess your festival has this tradition where they publicly punish and humiliate some enemy of the Fire Nation and your uncle decided that it would be more appropriate to put Azula against the pillory instead.”

Toph slid down Appa then and slowly walked a distance towards them before sitting down on a log, looking both angry and tired. Aang wanted to go see if she was alright, but Suki’s story had him transfixed.

“They brought in a line of festivalgoers and they came up the pillory steps one at a time to whip her. One at a time and most spit in her face before crossing over and letting the next person take their turn.”

Aang watched with bated breath as Ty Lee’s hands went from her mouth to clench at her sides into shaking fists.

“Sasuke went undercover as the other prisoner that was there to be punished and managed to get the chief advisor out in the open, and Azula was able to call him out. From there, we were able to pretty quickly get the upper hand; zone off the pillory with fire and take down all the guards.”

Mai looked somewhat uneasy as she asked, “And my uncle?”

Suki ran her tongue over her teeth irritably. “Alive, lucky for him. I’m actually shocked that Sasuke didn’t turn him inside out.”

At the mention of the name, gazes slowly turned to look up towards Appa’s saddle to see that Sasuke had hopped down in silence and walked a distance away, hands clasped behind his back. Aang wished he would turn around to see Sasuke’s expression but he supposed he was a little frightened at what he might see.

“That certainly settles one thing,” Katara said briskly as she seemed to finish up cleaning Azula’s wounds and gestured, causing Suki and Ty Lee to move forward to properly bandage the slashes. “The Fire Nation knows that we’re here. If not Aang, than Azula and that might be just as much reason for them to scorch this island to cinders looking.”

Sokka’s voice was uncommonly even for a situation such as this as he suggested, “We’ll need to move again. Double back to the temple perhaps or at least in that direction.”

Katara seemed to ignore her brother as she stood, turning her gaze between Suki and Toph. “Did you get what you went for?”

Looking up from Azula, Suki glanced nervously in Sasuke’s direction before nodding. Katara returned the gesture and walked over to Toph putting a hand on her shoulder that seemed to surprise the younger girl who, after a moment of a stunned expression, wrapped her arms around Katara’s midsection. Katara returned the hug and gave a wayward glance towards Sasuke; Aang realized that she was taking all this strangely well considering her behavior over the previous several days. Just about none of the information he had just heard boded well for them, but Katara looked as calm and relaxed as he had seen her since before Sasuke had arrived.

Slowly, he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Strangely certain that something bad was about to happen, he turned towards Sasuke, mustering up some pretend positive energy.

“So, it all worked out I guess! What’s the plan now, are you—”

Katara cut him off with a stern crack of her tone. “Aang step away from him.”

Gritting his teeth and jamming his eyes shut, Aang tried to convince himself that wasn’t all about to take an awful turn, but his gut reaction which was so rarely wrong had him practically shaking where he stood.

“Katara, please don’t…” he managed to whisper out, but he only felt her arm cross over his chest and gently ease him backwards. As he joined the small vigil that was being held around the slowly burning out fire, Katara separated herself from them, cutting the distance between them and Sasuke in half, standing at the halfway point between them.

By now, others were picking up on the layer of tension that had suddenly fallen over the camp with a distant but oppressive weight. Aang saw Mai’s mouth become a tight line and Ty Lee slowly stood from where she had been knelt next to Azula and slowly walked in front of the unconscious princess as though to shield her. Suki moved neared to Sokka, but Katara’s brother had his eyes locked on his sister, barely even seeming to realize that Suki was there as she gripped his hand. Zuko’s expression, if anything had just become a more broken version of the one that Aang had seen before, a mask of regret and withheld anguish that no one else seemed to see but him.

Ahead of them by about ten yards and shrouded mostly in the dark of night, Sasuke spoke plainly, his back still turned to them.

“Why did you make me promise to come back tonight, Katara? Why, of all the things you could have asked of me, did you ask for that?”

Moving his own eyes to Katara, Aang could see that she still was emanating a very controlling aura and a protective stance had been taken up. She ignored his question and asked one her own.

“Where would you go, Sasuke, if I hadn’t had you promise to return tonight?”

He didn’t skip a beat in answering, “I would be well on my way to Ozai by now.”

Katara accepted this with a slow nod. At her silence, Sasuke finally turned around and with the majority of him still being shrouded in dark, he seemed all the more intimidating.

“I’ve played into a hand of yours, or so you seem to think. I don’t know how you can possibly fathom stopping me, even if you dared to try.”

Aang’s heart leapt into his throat at the prospect.

_She can’t be thinking that… it would be suicide, please, Katara, don’t do this. No matter the reason, there’s no way…_

Through his mental pleading, Katara only seemed to have grown more confident and intense. Her flowing, dark hair was tossed in the night air as she stared back at Sasuke with an unblinking and challenging stare.

“I guess I just know something you don’t.”

Sasuke turned his head towards the sky in a gesture of annoyance and made to walk their way. “Look, I don’t have time for this. I’m not going to stand here and listen to this crap while you waste—”

And Aang knew what was about to happen then, even before it did. He closed his eyes, not even feeling able to watch anymore.

* * *

Katara let him take a few steps before reaching out, feeling the power of both her own energy and the moonlight that so amplified her strength on this night above all others. She extended her very will into her bending and while no water was whipped up, no colossal wave or shower of icy spikes that could have crushed or impaled him, something much more powerful happened.

As though he had been frozen in time itself, Sasuke stopped walking and became entirely still.

Katara found herself distantly surprised, not only that it had worked, but that it had been so easy. Part of her had expected some kind of powerful resistance to keep her from digging into his blood and holding it steady, but it was though his entire body was more liquid than others and it made it that much easier to catch onto. Perhaps that strange altered state of body he possessed that allowed him to use his so-called jutsu was the cause of this, but for whatever reason, she was gratified that it had worked to perfection.

She watched his face contort, from confusion, to strain, to frustration as he realized that he had suddenly become nothing short of a puppet. Behind her, she heard Suki and Ty Lee gasp as the entire group bore witness to a gift that Katara had promised herself she would keep from using again.

She supposed her promises weren’t worth that much.

“Katara, what are you doing?!” Toph shouted, suddenly coming very alive. She no doubt had sensed the sudden and drastic change in Sasuke’s body and was surely very put off by what was happening. Katara wished she could have had time to explain to Toph what was happening and why it had to, but as she had told herself, she could deal with the resentment that would come with this.

Besides, the hard part was far from over.

She ignored Toph and spoke directly to Sasuke, doing her best to keep her tone measured and commanding.

“I asked you to come back on this night in particular because it is when I’m at my strongest. When the moon is bright and full, I can reach into my waterbending to generate a much more potent type of skill, one where I can bend the very blood of another person.”

She heard tight murmurs and a hiss from Mai behind her, but she did her best to ignore it. If they wanted to condemn her dabbling in such a forbidden kind of bending, it would have to wait.

Katara continued, “I know that you have an agenda, a very purposeful one. But, for the last time, I cannot have you chase after Ozai on your own and potentially jeopardize everything that there is to Aang’s destiny. You know this is how I feel and I am giving you a last chance to change your ways and remain our companion until after Aang defeats Ozai himself. When victory is won, you can have the answers you seek, or dredge for them as best as you are able. But you cannot, you _will_ not hinder us any further.”

She pulled back her bending just enough for Sasuke to be able to move his mouth along with breathing and flexing his face muscles. His reply was far from heartening.

“And you know I don’t care, and think you’re all a pack of fools for letting something as fraudulent as prophecy steer you. I’m not abandoning my path and if you know what’s best for you, you’ll let me go so I can get to it. You’ve deemed that this confrontation with the Fire Lord will come at the last moment when Aang is at his most ready, but if you have any sense in your mind, you know he will _never_ be ready.”

Katara bristled at his personal attack towards Aang, but she let him continue regardless.

“I have nothing against Aang, in fact, I think he might be the wisest of any of you. He understands his own desires, and his own limitations. You would drive him to break down all that he is just so you can be satisfied as to how the ends are achieved. But I promise you, when I’ve cut Ozai from this world, you won’t be hating me for it. You want this, Katara, deep down, you want me to take this burden from you. You’re hurting and you’re tired. But if this pride is going to keep you in my way… I’ll go through you.”

Closing her eyes at the statement that he had known was coming, regardless of verbatim, Katara steeled herself as she felt her allies beginning to tense and move around her.

“That’s your final say?” she asked.

“Katara, wait, you can’t do this,” Toph’s voice came from behind her now, sounding half-panicked. Katara ignored her as Sasuke fixed his black eyes on her own.

“That’s it. Make your move.”

Taking a last deep inhale of night air and feeling Toph and perhaps others behind her move with a sudden desperation and knowledge of the situation, she twisted her hands just so. She gasped in mental pain at the mere act of forcing another person’s heart to implode, but as she did it to Sasuke she could only stare as his body shivered suddenly and collapsed.

Immediately, Toph screamed as though she had been stabbed, a sound that wore away into a wracking sob. “Holy shit,” Mai whispered as Zuko moved to her side. Katara saw this out of the corner of her eye, but the whole of her couldn’t look away from Sasuke’s body. It was a strange thing, to see a lifeless form just there now, completely devoid of the energy that had been flowing through it not moments before.

_I can’t believe I did that._

They had killed before, all of them, but never like this. Never to someone who was completely helpless to defend themselves and someone who, despite any of Katara’s grievances, had helped them more than one might admit. She shook her head and moved her mouth wordlessly before nearly stumbling as she took a step back. Turning to look at Aang who was just behind her, tears flowing down his face, Katara reached out for his shoulder. She was stunned then as he whipped his arm out and knocked her hand away, turning his pained and angry eyes to her.

“Don’t touch me,” he snapped, his voice cracking. Katara could think of nothing to say, only reached for him again, suddenly desperate for his comfort and acceptance, but he pulled back, swallowing deeply as he moved to stand by Toph who had her arms wrapped around herself and was shaking as she cried. Ty Lee slowly moved from standing in front of Azula, to dropping gently to her knees besides Toph and pulling her into a hug, her own gaze fixed with a dumbfounded stare on Sasuke’s body. Zuko’s eyes were wide, but there was a relief there that he hadn’t needed to be involved as he clutched tightly at Mai’s hand who looked only briefly at Katara before shaking her head in something like disgust and turning to put her head into Zuko’s shoulder.

Feeling almost frantic for some kind of approval or at least understanding, Katara turned to Sokka and Suki. The latter was looking intent, but resigned and wouldn’t look at her, but Sokka’s expression was something that Katara needed a moment to take in. She could have imagined any number of emotions on her brother’s face, such as regret, pain, sadness, anger, or outright denunciation, bit she saw none of them now. Instead, Sokka was looking at Sasuke’s body with a deep, almost wild curiosity as though expecting the corpse to jump up and prove them all wrong. It was actually a frightening look, but before Katara could even try to decipher what it could mean, Toph broke free from Ty Lee’s gentle hold and smashed Katara in the stomach with a punch.

Katara had been hit by Toph before; the girl’s common way of showing affection had been something they had all grown to adapt to and while these friendly hits had never before been overly damaging, there had always been some meat to them.

This punch however felt like Appa had just slammed his tail into her and Katara staggered back a couple steps, gasping in pain. Toph’s face was awash with despair and anger, her fists balled as she shouted, “Is this what it’s always going to come down to?! You being so terrified of someone or something that you just completely distance yourself from everyone else to make the call that you think we have no say in?!”

Katara needed a moment to catch her breath and even then, she winced as she spoke, her midsection pulsing with pain. “It’s not like that Toph. I did this for the good of everyone, not just on some personal agenda.”

Toph gave a wild screech of fake laughter and as Katara watched her friend, it dawned on her that this might be a far worse situation that she might have thought.

“Bullshit!! You’ve been looking for a way to get rid of him since he got here, but since he’s going to spoil your plans of having your boyfriend take down the Fire Lord, you had to go and kill him?!”

“He was dangerous to everyone. I didn’t do this just for me, or just for Aang. He could have hurt you Toph.” Katara tried to keep her tone as mellow as she could, though a part of her wanted to scream right back at Toph; to shout, to rant and rave might have done something to quell the raging storm of negative emotions roiling in her gut like waves in a storm.

Jabbing a finger at her, Toph roared, “You’re a coward!! You never even tried to understand him, or give him a chance, everything you did was for your ego!! He would _never_ hurt me!!”

It was Mai who actually spoke up then, her low and cool tone a welcome addition to combat Toph’s hysterics, but Katara could hear a shake in Mai’s voice that told her this was no easy thing for her to accept either.

“Toph, he had his own goals. You were helping him get closer to them, and maybe that meant he was seeming like he was getting closer to you as a result, maybe it—”

Clenching her teeth and snarling, Toph brought her fists up furiously and Katara felt the ground beneath her shake.

“None of you get it!!!”

And just as Katara was sure that this was about to get dangerously physical, the shifting sand under her feet ceased in its swaying and Toph’s arms dropped limply to her side. Her face was now just a tired and despairing mess, her mask of fury gone and washed to the wind.

“You hated him because he was scary. Because he was something you didn’t understand.”

She sniffed and wiped her cheeks on her arm; Katara realized how very alone she looked, even with all the company surrounding her.

“He helped us. He protected us. And I liked him. A whole lot.”

This admission brought a pang to Katara’s gut even though she had had a feeling deep down that it had been the case. But she kept her mouth closed, as she was sure that her next words might be another defense of her actions, and that might fire up Toph all over again. Instead, she stood still, trying to keep the tears of her own that had leapt unbidden to her eyes from spilling. She had never felt this way before in her life; the pain of killing, the feeling of guilt and filth that she had just done something so merciless compounded with the stinging and distinct possibility that Toph had a point were doing a number on her. She wanted to cry and scream, but she also wanted to heave a sigh of relief. Sasuke was no longer a problem, he was no longer a factor she had to consider. It made the idea of moving forward seem a great deal more possible.

But then, over the sound of Toph crying and the fire crackling out, a voice rippled over the breeze and rushing of the tide.

“I admit, I didn’t see that coming.”

Sasuke’s tone was unmistakable and Katara’s heart leapt into her throat at a furious hammering rate all over again. Suki and Ty Lee both inhaled sharply and every single person snapped straight up and Katara followed the gaze of everyone else to look at where his body had fallen, only to see a puddle of water glistening in the moonlight.

_A trick._

Of course. Of course. Sasuke wasn’t an idiot, her killing intent couldn’t stay hidden from him, someone who made murder a part of his being. And with all the devious moves he had up his sleeves, he had foiled her somehow.

_How? I felt him. I felt his body, and I snuffed out his heart. How can he be doing this?_

The voice carried on, seeming to come from all around them, even inside Katara’s own head.

“I guess we really aren’t able to come to terms with what we are and what our goals represent. I really had hoped we would be able to, but if I have to, I’ll put you down now, Katara. I’ll give you a choice the same way you gave me one. Fly me back to the airship and let me be on my way.”

Katara reached out and whipped up a cyclone of water that rushed around her with a roaring madness that she knew reflected the furious and terrified look in her eyes. She snapped back a single word as she looked around in a near frenzy, trying to find where he had gone.

“Or?!”

There was a long moment in which he didn’t reply before a voice sounded right behind her.

“I will make you.”

She shouted and spun, sending a torrent of ocean liquid cascading towards the sound, but Sasuke was already gone, one with the shadows again. From everyone else who had now joined Katara in looking around frantically for the newly undead Sasuke, Zuko stepped forward.

“Sasuke, please listen! It wasn’t just Katara, I… I was involved too.”

Katara looked at the Fire Nation prince hesitantly as Mai gave him a shocked look. He seemed to flinch at his own confession but pushed past it, continuing, “I was going to help her kill you if she couldn’t finish you off by herself. But this doesn’t need to be like this! We can come to an understanding, I know we can!”

After several seconds, Sasuke’s voice resounded again. “You were going to help her take me down? Then I suggest you adopt a more offensive stance, your highness, we’re not remotely done yet.”

A shadow that moved as fast as a blink was on Zuko in an instant and smashed him to the ground. He gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, but Sasuke was back in the shadows even before that. A gust of wind washed over the camp blowing out the last of the fire, the stars and moonlight becoming the only source of light for a moment before Zuko climbed to his feet and summoned fire to his hands. He was at Katara’s side in an instant, back to back with her and feeling just one other person being at her side sent a rush of warmth through Katara’s adrenaline-pumping form.

Toph took a few steps away from the camp, pleading into the dark. “Sasuke, don’t do this!!”

When Sasuke spoke again, Katara could hear hurt in his voice, though it was clear he was trying to hide it. “Were you in on this Toph? Was that an act just now?”

Looking utterly destroyed that such a thing could even be considered, Toph shook her head miserably. “No. No! No, I would never, I don’t… I don’t want to see you hurt! Please!”

The pain in her voice was real, but Sasuke didn’t respond to it.

Katara felt him on top of her before his blows actually landed; there was a blow to her side that caused her to yell in pain, then another to her gut that knocked her breath out and then a sweep to her legs that dropped her now oxygen-deficient body to the sand. As she gasped for air, her water crashing down around her, Zuko was hit again with a strike to the side of his head that sent him sprawling as well. And still, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

“If anyone else wants to ante up, now’s the time. Whether it’s two or all of you, I’d like to settle this permanently now.”

Katara caught a glimpse of Aang’s desperate face as he twisted around, trying to spot Sasuke. She desperately hoped he wouldn’t speak up, it was going to be hard enough taking down Sasuke now without her having to worry about Aang being hurt. But there was no time to consider outliers; at any moment, Sasuke could be on top of her, his sword piercing her chest.

_He’s moving in the shadows. He’s disguising himself, but he’s still on the ground. I can’t see him, but…_

Drawing up another great wave of water, Katara sent it crashing over the beach, washing its entirety with the spray of the sea, save for the patch her companions stood upon.

_I can still stop him._

Placing her hands on the now soaked sand, she sent a freezing surge all throughout the surging water and instantly, the beach froze over, a layer of ice covering its surface. And behind her about a dozen yards away, Katara felt something catch in the ice and she spun, heart thundering in her chest.

“There!!” she shouted and Zuko understood as she pointed. With a yell, he threw two sharp kicks in the direction she felt the disturbance in her sheet of ice and as they rushed by illuminating their surroundings, Katara could see a figure struggling to free his feet from the frozen ground.

_Got you._

Riding a fresh wave of water, she raced to the spot she had seen him, but looking down, there was only a puddle lying on top of the glimmering, freezing ground. Katara snarled in frustration, but before she could do more than turn back to Zuko, a hand reached out of the water that had just before carried her over and dragged her into its depths.

The wave wasn’t more than the size of Appa, but that was still plenty big for Katara to realize that she would drown if her situation wasn’t quickly changed. She whipped around with her hands, trying to force the water to dissipate, but with a terrifying start, she realized the water wasn’t obeying her. She tried again and again, but it was though the water itself had changed allegiance. Her efforts gave way to panic as she thrashed about and as she looked through the water, she could see a shadowy figure looking in towards her.

 _One chance,_ she thought as her vision blurred and lungs seared for air. Reaching way from the water and instead towards the figure, she caught the blood flowing in the figure’s arms and snapped them to the person’s sides. The water fell away and Katara collapsed onto her icy barrier just above the sand, gasping for breath. As she blinked away her body’s desire to fall into unconsciousness at the exertion she was being forced upon, Katara rolled to her hands and knees, but there was no longer a silhouette where the dark figure had been moments before.

She heard a grunt and Zuko landed hard just beside her. His face was alive with pain as he tightened up in a ball, grabbing at his waist.

“Are you alri—” Katara managed to choke out before what must have been a kick snapped out and crashed against her face. Stars flashed before her eyes as she dropped back to the ground; she felt blood seeping from her nose and tasted the coppery bitterness in her mouth as she staggered to her feet.

“That’s enough!!” Aang shouted, suddenly seeming as though he had seen quite enough and he, along with Toph and Mai, started forward, but with a crackling roar, a domed cage of black fire sprang to life and closed out the three of them as well as Suki, Sokka and Azula, trapping them in an intense, dark glow. Terrified at the sight of her friends being in danger, Katara immediately sent water to combat the fiery prison, but any liquid that neared the burning bars evaporated with a weak hiss. Her fury at her every move being constantly thwarted caused her to suddenly feel angry tears leaking from her eyes and she spun in a wide arc, throwing frozen spears to lance every which way into the dark.

“Why won’t you just die?!” she screamed as Zuko attempted to struggle to his feet behind her.

“You don’t get the only say.”

Sasuke’s voice came from directly behind her again, and she turned to face him, a brutal chop came down on her right collarbone and she cried out in pain, dropping to her knees. It took a moment for her to realize that she could see a pair of legs standing before her and she shook off the agony of her beating to reach out and grab at his bloodstream yet again, but as she looked up into Sasuke’s face, his body fell away into water again that landed with a splash in front of her.

“I don’t care that you never gave me a chance, Katara. I suppose I’m maybe a little resentful and it’s sure making beating you to a pulp easier. But I just want to go. I have what I need, and I believe I’m going to be doing your whole little world a favor when I go and cut down the Fire Lord. But you’re so self-righteous, so sure that your way is the only way. And that’s why this is happening.”

A fist connected with the small of her back and Katara gasped with pain, nearly crumpling over. Beside her, Zuko sent a spray of fire painting the dark behind them but it connected with no target. Katara came shoulder to shoulder with him, speaking quickly.

“I don’t suppose you have any ideas.”

Zuko shook his head. “I don’t know how to fight what isn’t there. He’s using some kind of water clones to throw us off, but the hits that we’re taking are from him, I know that.”

“So are these,” said Sasuke and Katara felt a hand press against the side of her head and slam her against Zuko’s who, by the feel of it, had just had his head grabbed as well. They both dropped to their knees and Katara had to try again as her vision darkened and her head pounded with pain. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her throat and she was hoisted in the air with a strangled choke; Sasuke’s voice was a dark growl in her ear as she grabbed at his forearm.

“Just go down. Go down and give up. For what it’s worth, I don’t actually want to kill you.”

Realizing that the arm she was holding wasn’t made of water, Katara sent her bending forth again and forced his arm to release her. Hauling in breath desperately, Sasuke grunted.

“That’s a pretty annoying move you’ve got there.” He slammed his heel into the back of her head, driving her to the ground yet again. Katara found the very act of even trying to pick herself up again seemed more impossible then before, and it was only when Zuko reached down and tried to pull her up that she struggled wearily back to her feet.

Finally, she could see Sasuke, a dark figure standing just feet away from her as she and Zuko leaned painedly on one another for support. Not sure if this was actually the real Sasuke or not, Katara chose not to waste more of her dwindling energy bending. She had done very little of it this fight relatively, but the punishment she was taking was sapping away her energy just as much as summoning a fleet of colossal waves.

As Sasuke regarded them and they him, Aang yelled desperately from where he was trapped. “All of you, stop this!! It doesn’t have to be this way, we can talk this over!!”

Sasuke suddenly seemed to twitch irritably as though he had been stung by a bee. “No. No more talking. I’m done wasting time listening to people who clearly have their minds concluded.”

His face was suddenly lit up fire as orange sparks burst to his hands and he slowly unsheathed his sword. “It’s time we end this, I think.”

It struck Katara then just how useless all of her bending, all of her training was. Sasuke was both superhuman and subhuman at the same time; an impossible foe to fight against, completely unmatchable in any sense, not in speed, in fists, in elemental mastery. As she listened to the shouts and attempts to defuse the situation from Aang and everyone else, Katara knew then that she only had one chance to make this work.

She reached out just barely with her bloodbending, doing more than trying to pin him in place and also much less. She reached into the blood itself and with a moment of deep concentration, she felt that blood running against bone and muscle and Katara knew that the real Sasuke was standing before her. Somehow though, he was able to replace himself with a duplicate composed of water whenever he so deemed, and he clearly knew that she could blood bend at this point. She only had one real shot of catching him off guard, and she knew this would be her only chance to make it work.

Feigning a stagger, she silently generated an icy dagger in her hand. She knew of a point that she could strike him that would be lethal if she could just get a chance to stab with it. And based on Sasuke’s flaming hands and drawn weapon, he was ready to come in quite close, perhaps close enough for Katara’s ice to pierce him. She wished she could tell Zuko what she was thinking, but she could only tense up and wait, watching as Sasuke took in a long breath and sighed.

“It didn’t have to be like this.”

There was moment of almost pure quiet then and Katara knew what was about to happen.

Sasuke moved just as fast as she anticipated, but she bended the ice beneath his feet just enough to slow him down to the point where she could catch him. But as he approached at a still blinding speed, Katara knew that the length of his sword would still reach her well before she could get to him and she knew in that split second that if she had to go out to take him down, she would. Roaring in a last attempt to perhaps throw him off just a bit, she moved forward, ready to take his sword if it only meant she could finally put him down.

Katara and Sasuke both stopped dead then, of their own accord, only feet apart.

Toph, who had apparently tunneled free from the black cage of flames, had thrown herself in front of Katara with her arms outstretched, facing Sasuke.

Katara didn’t know what was more stunning, the fact that Toph had believed she could stop Sasuke with such a gesture or the fact that, for all intents and purposes, she had. Sasuke stared at Toph, sword still drawn back. Katara couldn’t see her friend’s face, but she could tell when Toph spoke that she was crying.

“Sasuke… please…”

He blinked down at her and Katara saw her opportunity. Fully expecting to be thwarted yet again, she gasped in surprise as her icy knife sank deep into Sasuke’s chest with a soft sounding thud. Looking down at it, Sasuke simply stared from it and then back to Katara and Toph before falling over without a sound.

“No!!” Toph shouted and made to move to his side before a wall of fire exploded between them and Toph stumbled back into Zuko. As the flaming wall’s brief lifetime ended, it fell away to burn only a few inches from the ground, not nearly as powerful but just as illuminating.

Azula was crouched next to Sasuke, holding his head to her chest with one hand and pointing two fingers towards Katara with the other. Blue sparks crackled around them as her face glowed with a mad obsessiveness.

“Not another move, any of you.”

She swiped at the air to Katara’s right then. “Any of you!!”

Katara looked to see that everyone else had evacuated themselves through the tunnel that Toph had used to escape the black fire and put herself between the fighters. Everyone’s face was glowing with deep anxiousness and worry, but Mai was the first to attempt to reach the princess who was holding Sasuke like a mother would her firstborn.

“Azula, just… put him down. This has gone far enough.” She took a step forward and a bolt of lightning lanced from Azula’s fingers to blast apart the sand at Mai’s feet, who cursed and stepped back. For a moment, it was as much of a standoff as anything could be, with Azula’s eyes dancing with madness as she glared at the lot of them.

It was Ty Lee who finally spoke quietly. “What now then, Azula? You going to run away with him, assuming he doesn’t die from that wound?”

Katara looked to Sasuke’s blank face and wondered if her strike was killing him. Azula looked down at him briefly before looking back, teeth bared angrily. Ty Lee continued, “This can’t work. It doesn’t work. You can’t let your… feelings for him affect your judgement like this.”

Azula said nothing, only continued to glower. As she saw Sasuke’s hand twitched, Katara suddenly felt a serious sense of urgency; she hadn’t hit him exactly where she knew a blow could be fatal, so it was possible the shock of his wound was wearing off and he was coming around. This had to be finished before then.

Taking a step forward herself, she said in as commanding a voice as she could manage. “Azula, get out of the way.”

Of course, the princess didn’t move, but turned her fingers Katara’s way. Not deterred in the slightest, Katara brought dozens of icy spears to life above her head, all hovering ominously and ready to be launched.

“I don’t want to have to kill you too.”

Azula’s twisted snarl became a savage grin. “So sure you can?”

Mai stepped up next to Katara and gave her a look and Katara knew then that this was perhaps an even more dangerous situation then before; if Azula was as willing as she seemed to shed blood over Sasuke, there was no telling what she would do here, or who she’d be willing to kill. But Katara could see a window between the princess’s arms, one where she might just be able to squeeze an icicle through and cut him down, something she could do without so much as touching Azula. And if there was an aftermath to be had with her, or even Toph, that could be settled after the fact.

But as she tensed and prepared to attack, Aang grabbed her arm and jumped in front of her.

“Stop this!!”

His voice was as loud and angry as she had ever heard and it was enough to give her pause as he stared up at her with fuming eyes. Spinning on his heel then he walked over to Azula and Sasuke, the former gazing at him with narrowed eyes as she pulled Sasuke closer to herself.

“One wrong move, Avatar…” she murmured spitefully but Aang didn’t seem to even acknowledge her as he stopped at her side and looked back towards everyone else. Crossing his arms, he took a deep breath and said, “I’m going with Sasuke.”

It took several moments for the gravity of what he had just said to truly settle over Katara and she felt her throat tighten.

_No._

After everything she had done, after everything she had been willing to sacrifice to push Sasuke from their lives, Aang couldn’t do this. His expression was tight but there was resolve there too.

“If this is going to be what brings us to apart, what makes us try and _kill_ each other, then this is all there is to say. I’m going with Sasuke to confront the Fire Lord; the training I’ve gotten so far will have to be enough. I have you all, and that will more than suffice for anything that I’m lacking.”

Katara could think of nothing to say as she stared at him weakly. He met her eyes and his face softened as he must have seen the pain written on her face.

“I’m sorry, Katara. But everything I’ve done so far has been with help. My training, all my battles, and everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve had you, or Sokka, or Toph, or whoever else backing me up. Maybe this isn’t the way you want to do this, but it’s not only your voice that matters.”

He looked back and forth into the dark that surrounded them, his expression turning almost annoyed.

“What do you think, Sasuke? Can’t imagine you don’t have an opinion.”

His comment seemed to take everyone by a little bit of surprise and a cry from Azula caused them to look and see that save for her now wet sleeve and puddle at her feet, there was no sign of Sasuke. Katara closed her eyes in a last bout of frustration; she had felt his bones, his muscle, how had this too been another fake?

“The only paying attention, I see. You seem to be pretty good at defusing situations like this, kid.”

As though he had simply blinked into existence, Sasuke was suddenly standing a few meters from Aang looking perhaps distantly impressed. Instinctively, Katara drew her hands into a readied position, but his eyes turned to her, glowing with that sinister red that she knew accompanied a fair but of his offense.

“Katara, if you try that shit again, I’m going to break both your arms.”

She swallowed and didn’t proceed with an attack, but remained in a readied stance nonetheless. Sasuke looked at her for a moment before looking back to Aang who shrugged.

“Doesn’t seem to work so well when Toph and Katara argue, but other times, it does the job okay.”

Sasuke made a noise that could have been a laugh and regarded Aang thoughtfully. It was a long several seconds before he finally said, “I’d really rather do this alone.”

Aang put his hands up in an almost pleading gesture. “If you have a better solution that doesn’t involve anyone getting hurt, I’d love to hear it.”

When Sasuke didn’t reply, Aang carried on, “You try and go alone and Katara tries to kill you. And in that scenario, something really terrible could happen, and I’m not… I’m not letting anyone else get hurt because of this stupid argument.”

“Aang,” Katara growled as her eyes never left Sasuke. “He’s dangerous.”

Suddenly, Aang’s voice came alive with a real, terrifying anger and he screamed at her, “So are you!!!”

Her heart caught in her throat as he began to shout in her direction, Sasuke left to the side watching on. “This has always been about you feeling threatened by someone who’s stronger than you!! You might be the most powerful bender of all of us, but now that Sasuke’s here, you have nothing left in your heart but resentment and fear!! I can see it in your face, every minute of every day!! You don’t talk to me anymore, you don’t talk to anyone anymore, you just sit around and stare at him with that… that damn expression!!”

He seemed to catch himself and took in a slow breath in an attempt to calm himself.

“I’m sorry, Katara. But this is what I’ve chosen.”

Aang turned back to Sasuke, eyes questioning. Katara could feel something that felt very much like both hurt and guilt washing through her gut, but she could only think to watch and wait for a response. Sasuke looked at Aang for a long time, his only movements being occasional blinks and sighs before he finally said his peace before leaving her to stand alone in her agony.

“We leave in the morning, then.”

* * *

Azula was reeling.

She hadn’t expected Sasuke to agree to Aang’s proposal, and she had been deeply hoping he wouldn’t regardless. This wasn’t like him, to accept this kind of help, or be a part of something he didn’t have to; what was he playing at? She clenched her fists from where she knelt on the slowly melting sheet of ice. He should have just killed Katara then and there and left. She would have followed him no matter what, but now they had to have company? It wasn’t fair. Sasuke was hers and now yet again, she had to share him.

Her eyes moved up to watch Toph move away as the group slowly broke up, the shocked and tense expressions revealing that no one had quite expected this turn of events either. Katara looked utterly defeated and Azula took some satisfaction in that, but as she watched Toph, she could only feel hate in her heart.

_You can’t have him. You little bitch, I’ll kill you first, then Katara, then…_

“Are you alright?”

Azula was shaken from her mental cursing and looked up to see Sasuke looking down at her, his head slightly cocked. Her hate dissolved into a feeling that she couldn’t quite pinpoint but it was a far more warm feeling than her cold disdain. It took her a moment to reply, as she made sure she sounded as in control as she could.

“I’m fine.”

Sasuke looked back to the place where they had been momentarily trapped by his black fire to the tunnel that Toph had burrowed that everyone had then escaped from.

“That was dangerous. You’re probably not remotely healed enough to be putting yourself in danger like that.”

Resentment bubbled up in Azula’s gut.

 _I did it for you, don’t you understand that? I would take a beating from Katara and my brother, I would take a hundred more lashes, it doesn’t matter, I did it for_ you.

And then, he said, “I suppose I should thank you though. Both for what you did at the festival and just now.”

Barely able to contain her pounding heart and very sure that Sasuke was going to be able to hear it thundering against her breast, Azula watched him with bated breath as he scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

“You’re pretty strong, pretty tough,” he said. “I’m sorry for what I said on the airship, I.. . misjudged you. You’re driven, and you know how to get what you want.”

_Oh, Sasuke, if you only knew what really that was…_

“But thanks.”

He seemed to be okay leaving it at that and Azula couldn’t stop herself from blurting out. “Could you help me up?”

She had to know what it felt like.

He turned to look at her with veiled surprise, but nonetheless reached out with an open hand. Azula let him pull her to her feet before pretending to fall forward after losing her balance. Sasuke caught her effortlessly and she pressed her head against him and put an arm around his shoulder. For a long moment, she reveled in his warmth and the pure power that he seemed to exert. It was intoxicating just being that close to him and she looked up to look into his distantly startled and confused face and put a hand on his cheek, the warmth in her body nearly driving her crazy.

_So close…_

* * *

Toph hid behind the stump as she felt how close they were together. Azula felt like she had stumbled, and Sasuke had caught her, but they were still very close to each other despite that moment having passed. She felt Azula’s feet push forward and Sasuke moved slightly; Toph grabbed the sides of her head wishing that just for a moment she could ignore her incredible sense of touch and pretend what might be happening was just an impossibility.

The seconds that it took for them to break apart felt like an eternity but they remained in close proximity for several more silent moments before Azula walked off, her pace impossible to measure against a certain mood. Toph waited until she felt Sasuke start to walk away as well before shaking her head and letting tears fall into the sand below. It was a moment more before she realized that this particular set of steps were not simply walking away from the spot that had held them close to Azula's, but they were also heading her way.

_Oh, no, no, no, not now…_

She sniffed deeply trying to clear her nasal passage and wiped her cheeks frantically. She couldn’t let him see her like this, not again, not after everything that had happened…

“How many times am I gonna catch you crying?” Sasuke's voice had a somewhat humorous edge to it, but Toph wasn’t in the mood to reciprocate this rare tone.

“What do you want?” she asked sharply, turning her head away from him. She half-hoped this would be enough to make him leave her then and there, but he hopped on top of the log she was leaning against instead.

_How had he known I was over here?_

“Just thought I’d thank you for your help at the festival,” he said, his voice becoming somewhat reproachful then.

“Don't you think you’d be better off giving Azula some more of your ‘thanks'?” she snapped bitterly. “You two clearly have something going on and it wouldn’t be good if she caught you talking with me.”

She wished badly that she could hear his thoughts then as he waited a long beat before replying. “You’re making a lot of assumptions, Toph.”

“Not sure how else I can take any of that,” she flared. “Not like I’d expect you to care much how…”

_How I feel._

Not able to even finish the thought, she put her head down on her knees, doing everything she could to keep herself from crying again. He didn’t say anything more for close to a minute before he asked her quietly.

“How did you know?”

She blinked and turned slightly in his direction. “How did I know what?”

“That I wouldn’t hurt you.”

Toph felt her chest seem to tighten on itself as he Sasuke continued, “You said it to Katara before we fought. And you believed it enough to put yourself in front of my sword. How did you know?”

It was like a hand had wrapped around her heart and was clenching it tight. “I just… I just knew.” It was hard to even talk, like something had a hold of her breathing.

“You know, Toph, I don’t know much about a lot of you people. I know feelings are mixed.”

Her toes and fingers felt numb as he dropped down to the side of the log she was on. His voice remained the flat, impenetrable calm that it always seemed to be, but his words were causing her insides to do backflips.

He sighed. “I’m not very good with this, I know.”

Toph shook her head almost told quickly. “No, it's okay. “

_Please don't stop._

She heard him scratch the back of his head. “Damn it, Toph, I can't really read you that well. I could get in your head if I wanted but… that’s invasive stuff and I won't use it on you.”

She could think of nothing to say, but tried to keep herself from shaking.

“What do you want from me, Toph?” he asked and she couldn’t keep herself from inhaling sharply. He waited but when she didn’t reply, he continued.

“I can't tell if you’re trying to be nice to me, or hate my guts. You said you liked me, but I guess I don't know what exactly that means. I…I just want to know what you want from me.”

_I want you._

She couldn’t bring herself to be honest and just shook her head. Sasuke seemed to regard her for a while before seeming to decide that this wasn't worth his time and started to walk away back towards camp.

Toph suddenly couldn’t bear the idea of her leaving her there without even a word. Lifting her head she said after him, unable to keep the desperation out of her voice.

“Sleep next to me?” She felt her cheeks redden and her pulse leapt in its rate as she reflected how completely absurd a request that was. Just the wish of a stupid girl who hated so much the idea of him growing as close to Azula as she was wanting to be. Why would he listen to her, why would he even—

“Alright.”

If it were possible, her pulse heightened in its pounding rate. Hardly able to believe what was happening, Toph felt Sasuke walk over to her side and sit down just beside her against the fallen tree. And unlike before, when she had leaned into him and he hadn’t matched her touch, this time Sasuke reached out with an arm and put it around her shoulder tentatively. Just as hesitantly and with a shaking hand that she could no longer control, she laid her hand over his chest as she leaned into him and closed her eyes. Just his touch was enough to take her breath away, though her body heaved gently with shakes.

Sasuke spoke quietly to her then.

“No shame in crying, Toph.”

His words echoed in her head and for a moment, she was frozen. Then, she whimpered and began to cry, putting her head against his body and let her own exhaustion and misery finally rock her to sleep, Sasuke's touch being well enough of a bed for her.


	15. Chapter 15

** Chapter 15: The Not Knowing **

Mai pulled Ty Lee aside the first chance she was able.

The group had broken up to very quietly settle in for what would surely be a quick respite through sleep. Katara was looking after herself and Zuko who had both been battered rather badly; Mai had let him go to her with a reserved kiss and a furrowed brow. She wasn’t pleased that he hadn’t told her about being approached to take down Sasuke and it had been very possible that he could have been killed. She would have directly interfered if Sasuke hadn’t trapped them in a flaming cage for the majority of the fight.

Sokka went down with a strange amount of quickness as though he hadn’t slept in days. Mai caught Suki looking at his prone form with concern before gently lowering herself to lie beside him. Aang had wandered over to Appa in company of his flying lemur, clearly looking to be left alone as he settled to sleep on board the giant bison who had seemingly dozed through all of the previous commotion.

Mai noted all these things with a mental note, but her gaze rarely left Azula as the princess distanced herself a ways from the rest of the sleeping quarters and turned away from them all as she lay down. Mai had seen what had just transpired and as Ty Lee followed her to the safety of the trees where they could talk without fear of being overheard, she looked over her shoulder for Sasuke. He hadn’t been anywhere in sight, nor had Toph and it wouldn’t have surprised Mai if they were once again butting heads or trying to sort out some differences. Toph’s infatuation with Sasuke was nearly as odorous a feeling as Azula’s, but Sasuke seemed hardly the type to reciprocate any such feelings, regardless of the person.

_Unless…_

“Did you see it?” Ty Lee practically demanded as they stopped a ways into the blackened woods of the forest, moonbeams gazing through the broad leaves above them. Mai tightened her lips before replying.

“I don’t know what I saw.” Ty Lee ran a hand anxiously through her hair.

“They kissed. I know they did,” she said in practically a mumble as though she were terrified to even consider the prospect.

“You don’t know that either.” Mai was doing her best to try and avoid the possibility of certainty even though she had clearly seen Azula’s face and knew by her movements and expressions exactly what she was trying to do.

Ty Lee didn’t look remotely convinced and Mai couldn’t blame her. “We need… we should ask him. Azula won’t say shit to us, but Sasuke would tell us if they had.”

Mai snorted. “You sure about that? What makes you think he would be okay just coming out and talking to us about something so personal?”

Throwing her hands in the air, Ty Lee took some steps away, looking more consternated than before. “I don’t know, Mai! Maybe because she forced it on him? Maybe because he doesn’t know how to react? We warned him away from her and told him to leave her alone, but our problem shouldn’t have been with him, it should have been with _her_!”

She jabbed a finger back the way they had come. Mai waited a moment while Ty Lee’s frenzied attitude died down a bit before speaking in a slow and measured voice; her own worries about the situation notwithstanding, she needed her friend to be as level-headed as possible.

“We’ve always known that Azula is possessive of people. She’s always treated you and I like commodities, ever since the academy. Now for the first time, she’s finally experiencing something where maybe she can’t have another person in that way, where she can’t just… acquire them. Maybe we should let her feel this one out.”

Ty Lee gave a hugely mocking laugh then and Mai held up her hands with a grimace, but she was ignored.

“Are you kidding me, Mai?! Azula isn’t normal, she doesn’t think or feel like you or me!! This isn’t you kissing him, or me, or Katara or Toph, or any other girl on the planet! Azula doesn’t know how to handle this if she’s rejected and it was impossible to tell from her tonight exactly what she was thinking! We leave this to Sasuke and he rejects her outright, she’ll never accept that; she’ll either run after him until it kills her or she’ll try and kill him! Either way, it…”

She seemed to catch herself and she reined in her emotions as she finished her thought in a more calm tone, “… it doesn’t end well.”

Mai watched Ty Lee for a long while as she tried to rationalize her own feelings towards the situation. It was bad, no matter which way she looked at it and her friend was right: it had been nothing short of wishing on a star that Azula might somehow be able to work through having her heart broken in a normal manner. If Sasuke was merely humoring her advances and was eventually prepared to turn her down… that hardly boded well for either or them, nor anyone in a mile radius of that confrontation.

“Alright. Let’s go see if we can find him.”

Ty Lee blinked at her in surprise and then looked around as though the mere suggestion was taboo. “Really? Right now?”

Mai shrugged. “If we can catch him before he dozes off anyway. I don’t think we should wait on this any longer than we have to.”

It was clear that while Ty Lee was hellbent on finding out if a kiss had truly happened, she suddenly wasn’t really about the idea of approaching Sasuke about it on such short notice. Nonetheless, she paused a moment before giving a tight nod.

“I saw him walk a ways towards that fallen tree near the far side of camp. The one facing that’s just on the edge of the forest parallel with the ocean.”

Ty Lee fell into line behind her and they started to walk in the direction that Mai had last seen him. As they walked, the acrobat asked, “How do we even ask him something like this?”

Grunting, Mai replied, “I don’t know. I was gonna let you ask him.”

Her friend made a noise of indignation humorous enough to warrant Mai a short chuckle.

“Me?! Why would it be me?! I haven’t hardly said two words to him and none of them were particularly pleasant if you don’t remember!”

“Look, Ty Lee, I’m just saying, as long as you’re the one who has the hots for—”

She cut herself off as they broke the tree line and found the massive fallen piece of arbor she had been referencing. Ty Lee had started to demand angrily that Mai finish her thought and nearly ran into her back as she looked down at what had stopped Mai in her tracks.

Against the wood of the downed tree, Sasuke and Toph were sleeping soundly. While Sasuke’s head lay against the wood, Toph was resting against him, her hand on his chest and right leg half pulled over his lap. They both looked so incredibly at peace that Mai found herself watching her breathing to make sure that it wasn’t too loud. Though with the calm, but consistent rushing of the tide and the swaying of the trees, Ty Lee was able to speak quietly and hardly risk waking either of them.

“I’ll be damned.”

Mai made a soft noise of amusement. “Maybe we don’t need to worry that much about Azula after all.”

Ty Lee gave her a look. “What is she, like thirteen?”

Turning away from the resting pair, Mai started down the beach back towards the camp and Ty Lee dogged her footsteps. “So? Sasuke can’t be older than us, fifteen or sixteen. Give it a couple years and maybe she’ll take him right out from under Azula’s nose.”

Making an anxious noise, Ty Lee didn’t seem convinced, nor in the mood to reciprocate Mai’s joke. “Even if that was the case, we would still have to deal with a pretty pissed off Azula and that’s just as bad as if he went and told her himself that he thought she would be a total waste of his—”

Mai stopped and turned to put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Ty, relax. We’ll get a chance to talk to him soon and we’ll get our answer. There’s no point stressing over it now though, so let’s just try and get some rest for now, huh?”

It took Ty Lee the longest time to finally nod her head in dismay and move towards her sleeping attire and blanket. Mai watched her go before turning to walk a little ways down the beach, wanting a couple minutes alone with her thoughts.

She had done a good job putting on a sarcastic and uncaring front in front of Ty Lee, but the fact of the matter was she was glad for the dark as it hid her shaking hands. That entire situation had been entirely too close and she was having trouble even just wrapping her head around it. First and foremost, she was furious at Katara for not consulting anyone other than her boyfriend on what she had been preparing to do; if Sasuke had been in any worse of a mood, who’s to say he might have gone overboard in dishing out more than just a beating to her and Zuko, and perhaps whoever else struck his fancy. She was mad at Zuko too, of course, but she knew how Katara could be and imagined he had probably also assumed it had been for the best. But Zuko could be an idiot and it was clear that he, along with Katara had vastly overestimated themselves.

The second factor that had her reeling was just how curiously amenable Sasuke had wound up being to the whole fiasco. He had just gone through an attempt on his life and just like that, he was now sleeping close, perhaps too close, to someone closely allied with the person who had just tried to exterminate him. He had toyed with Katara and Zuko like he had toyed with Azula only nights ago, and he had done so almost… playfully. It was impossible for her to tell how he was able to pull off what he had, with hyper realistic clones of himself that seemed to be made out of water and being able to move around faster than the eye could follow. Mai remembered when she and Azula had tangled with him at her uncle’s prison and was able to recall the encounter well enough to know that this had not been the same young man she had had been able to stick a knife into during that engagement.

But she supposed she could guess why his mood was rather good; after all, he had finally gotten the information he had so aggressively been trying to purloin. Now, he was free to hunt Ozai down come the morning and with Aang having backed his quest in order to keep Katara from continuing to oppose Sasuke, he had as open a window as he could ask for.

“Is Toph with him?”

As though summoned by her thoughts themselves, Mai snapped her head up to see that Katara was standing ankle deep in the night surf, eyes gazing towards the star-studded horizon. She felt a wave of anger towards the waterbender rush through her, but kept her tone measured as she replied, not feeling any need to lie about what she had seen.

“They’re sleeping together.”

Katara’s head twisted so suddenly it was as though it had been snapped by an invisible assassin and Mai put a hand up. “ _Not_ like that. They just seem… to enjoy one another’s company.”

That having been clarified, Katara nodded and turned away again without another word. Mai stared at her for a long while, trying to think of what she wanted to say. In many ways, a one on one with Katara was exactly what she had been looking for, but in the moment, she couldn’t think of anything prudent to begin a conversation. For her benefit, however, it was Katara who spoke up after a few seconds.

“I’m sorry I dragged Zuko and all of you into that.”

Regardless of whether or not she meant the apology, Mai couldn’t help but reply, “You should be.”

Katara didn’t seem to take offense at this, but made no effort to elaborate on her behalf. She simply stared out at the ocean, looking deep in thought, almost distant like she was in a vivid daydream. Mai stood a distance behind her, trying to decide if there really was anything she wanted to talk to Katara about.

Once again, her companion broke the silence before she did. “Do you think I’m wrong?”

Mai looked at her, “In wanting to kill Sasuke, or wanting to make sure it’s Aang, fully prepared, who faces down Ozai?”

Katara shrugged, “Both I suppose.”

For this, Mai needed a couple seconds. Days ago, she would have been right alongside Katara in looking to cut Sasuke’s throat after the stunt he had pulled at the prison and how he had so viciously penetrated her mind, her thoughts, her feelings. But despite his utter contempt for the idea of camaraderie and his relative rudeness and bluntness, every action he took was like he was fighting his own battle to keep from opening up. He had saved her, Azula and Ty Lee from the capital itself, he hadn’t killed Azula when he was in his complete traditional right to do so, he had saved them from General Ako and his assassins, he had protected them from the island natives and he had returned to them when he truly had no reason to do so. And Mai hadn’t forgotten the almost normal afternoon they had experienced, complete with Sasuke having a water fight with Aang and a relaxing dinner in which Sasuke had told that stupid joke. Things had changed, drastically, since she had first encountered him at Boiling Rock.

“I can’t tell you whether or not your emotions are right or wrong, Katara. I think in going behind everyone’s back to try and snuff him out, that might have been enough to turn people against you and I’m betting you can imagine why.”

Katara’s voice came out almost low enough to be a whisper, “I was just trying to protect everyone.”

Feeling tired of Katara’s self-righteousness, Mai looked back to make sure that she was far enough away and not going to wake anyone if she raised her voice slightly. “Katara, is it possible that any of the things that Aang accused you of were true?”

Not wanting to lose her train of thought or lose the will to say it, she carried on.

“Sasuke scares all of us. That’s certainly true and anyone who says otherwise is lying. I just saw Toph lying with him, but I know there’s a part of her that will always remember how he killed all those tribesmen, how powerful he is and how violent he can be. She’s fighting herself in how scared she is, I know it. Azula is the same way, but she’s not hiding it behind a sense of affection like Toph; she’s obsessing over him and its drowning out those thoughts of how he beat her half to death during that Agni Kai. We’re all scared of him, Katara, but you have to stop pretending like the only way of dealing with him is extermination.”

She gave a short laugh of disbelief as the reality of it all came crashing down on her. “I mean, he’s saved all our lives, more than once. Do you think if he really didn’t care about us that he wouldn’t have cut and run when the chief advisor gave him his information? Think about it, you made him promise to come back in return for passage back to our airship, but he didn’t need it. With the presence that the Fire Nation navy had at that festival, he could have easily stolen a skiff or another smaller brand of airship and been on his way. But he came back. Why?”

Mai didn’t have the answer herself, nor did she really want it; it was eating at her enough imagining that Sasuke might have been just as interested in Azula as she was in him, just hiding it better.

“You have to let go of at least some of that fear,” she breathed out with finality. “Never turn your back on him, especially not after what you pulled tonight, but…”

She didn’t know then how to quite describe what she was feeling, but said anyway, “I don’t know, go look at him and Toph. That might give you some perspective.”

Silence fell after that with Katara not so much as offering a word of response, and Mai left her alone standing amongst the tide. She lay down next to Zuko who was already fast asleep; she looked at his face which looked so peaceful in the moonlight and felt a rush of tears spill over her eyes without any warning.

_Zuko, you idiot… don’t you dare ever do anything like that again._

She nestled close to him and put an arm around him as she tried to doze off for a while herself. But she couldn’t quite shake off just how much she had come to Sasuke’s support just then; she hated him, didn’t she?

* * *

Though he had been staring at the city walls for the better part of an hour, Obito had trouble reminding himself that the massive stone barrier of Ba Sing Se was even real. It loomed higher than even the surrounding mountains seemed to be and though they were still a couple miles away, its size and scale was nothing to scoff at.

Iroh looked both proud and sad as he eyed the same walls. “Ba Sing Se. Perhaps the greatest city amongst all the Four Nations.’

Obito allowed himself a moment to be impressed. “You weren’t lying, old man. That’s one hell of a view.”

Laughing, Iroh urged his mount onward. “Well, it’s certainly a sight for our weary eyes. Our journey is finally at an end.”

Realizing that while they had only been traveling over a couple of nights, Obito found that it felt much more like he and his companion had been traveling for months. He had grown quite fond of Iroh, his conversation, his cooking, his personality and overall company had been the strangest and most unexpected blessing.

“I suppose trekking across a desert for days on end and our only company being giant, talking owls that are trying to gut me does add a bit to the overall grandeur of the thing.”

They progressed in silence a while longer and Obito was able to make out what looked to be hundreds of tents surrounding the city’s outer wall. “Are those the camps you were talking about?”

Iroh’s expression became one entirely of pity then. “Indeed. What the Fire Nation will not take in, is left outside. Families surely starved for food, refugees just looking for safety, and suspicion and they are cast aside.”

Obito shook his head. “These Fire Nation guys sound like real great guys.”

Turning to him then, Iroh asked, “Put yourselves in their shoes for a moment, my young friend. If you knew that you had to protect your hold on the city at all costs, don’t you suppose that barring access to all those who rouse suspicion would be prudent?”

Putting his hands up, Obito shook his head, “I’m not trying to insinuate anything regarding wartime tactics. I’m just saying that between Earth Nation soldiers pillaging from refugees to Fire Nation soldiers treating them like rats, doesn’t exactly look good for either side.”

“Often times, war brings out the worst in a people. They do what they can to survive, but their resentment for the conflict makes them cruel and plays on their greed and fear.” Iroh’s words were certainly not lacking in the old man’s traditional wisdom that Obito had come to expect over their travels and he laughed.

“Even in times like these, still spouting wisdom like it’s bad oxygen,” he said and his older companion shrugged his shoulders.

“I do what I can.”

They continued on and as they came to the top of a hill that ran down a couple kilometers into the first section of the tents, the scale of the operation struck Obito. There weren’t hundreds of tents, there were thousands; he could see dots that were certainly people milling about, looking almost like a heat illusion but there was no denying that the camps were likely overcrowded. It did a number on his empathy, but he had to remember his own goal. The woman in his dreams had told him to seek out Ba Sing Se, that his answers lay within the city, and Obito wasn’t looking to wait much longer.

Iroh suddenly reined in his mount to a halt and Obito’s almost collided with it.

“What’s the idea, old man? We’re almost there!” he said, but Iroh had a distant expression on his face.

“I’m afraid this is where we must say goodbye, my friend.”

Obito suddenly remembered why Iroh had been traveling this way in the first place. He had spoken of friends that were camped outside the city and how they were the reason for his journey. And though he remembered this now, Obito wasn’t sure he wanted to leave the old man’s company just yet; for all his worrying about traveling with a companion, he had grown quite fond of Iroh.

“Well, at least see me to the city gates then,” he finally said, but Iroh shook his head with a curious amount of vigor.

“I don’t think that would be wise.”

Cocking his head, Obito asked, “Why not?”

Iroh didn’t answer and Obito knew that the old man had never been one to be lacking for words. Truly enough, the whole situation didn’t feel right to him and he decided to come clean with just how he was feeling in regards to his companions caginess regarding the city.

“Look, something about the city has you rattled. Or is something to do with the Fire Nation? I can’t see why even their most greedy and bullying soldiers would go out of their way to go after a geezer like you. You’re worried for some reason, and I’ll be honest, I’d really like to know what that reason is. Why’s the city got you so worked up?”

Iroh turned on his mount to look at him and gazed about the surrounding craggy hills and dunes as though he were expecting someone to be trying to listen in.

“You must understand before I tell you this, Obito, that no matter what I did in my younger years, I—”

Somehow, Obito saw it before it happened and he leapt from his own mount with as much speed as he could muster. He saw a look of surprise pass over Iroh’s face before he tackled the old man off his mount and into the soft sand. Above them, an arrow that had been soaring just towards his companion’s head whizzed by and disappeared over the ridge. Obito rolled to his feet and after ensuring Iroh was behind him, he drew his katana and directed it towards where the shot must have come from.

He was disheartened to see that it had hardly been a traveling band of robbers like he had guessed. Over the ridges came over two dozen Fire Nation soldiers, all outfitted with an impressive array of armor and weapons. Masks surely meant to intimidate covered their faces as they approached the pair of them, some of them speaking to one another as they moved forward.

“Is that Zuko? He looks too old to be him.”

“No, the scar’s on the wrong side.”

Before they got too close, Obito raised his weapon and called out, “Something I can do for you gentlemen?”

The majority of them stopped advancing, save for a single one of their number, his adorned shoulders indicating a higher rank than that of the surrounding men. His voice was deep, if a tad nasally. “I am Captain Gokan, chief of perimeter security of Ba Sing Se.”

 _Cool,_ Obito almost said sarcastically but knew that any kind of sass might endanger their lives.

The captain continued, “You are traveling on restricted road: this path is only authorized for Fire Nation personnel.”

Behind Obito, Iroh asked, “How are weary travelers such as ourselves supposed to make it to the city then without any sort of proper passage to follow?”

The captain crossed his arms, his voice unmerciful at best, “Hardly a problem we can associate time with.”

Obito could tell that this was about to get ugly. Whatever the captain’s motive, he was going to surely place them both under arrest or just try to kill them outright. With the amount of people that surely already occupied the internment camps, cutting down the number before it even grew probably seemed a good deal.

_But with my eyes…_

No, he didn’t know the extent truly to which they helped him, nor was he certain that they would provide him an edge that wouldn’t be noticeable to any other patrols. Iroh had cautioned him of the power they seemed to grant him and while he had before just accepted them as a part of his own natural biology, he knew that the old man was right. He needed to be more careful and more cautious in how he used this remarkable gift, but in this instance, he didn’t know that he had a choice.

Tightening his grip on the handle of his sword, he faced off the men before him. He closed his eyes a moment and reopened them, the world suddenly becoming much clearer. He could see which of the men were comfortable with their swords and spears, and which preferred their bending as their primary offense. He could see which ones of them were arrogant, which were confident, which were professional, which were green. He could piece together the exact mental state of each one of them just by meeting their eyes. And it was clear that his sudden enhanced periphery hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Sir, his eyes…” one of the men uttered nervously. The captain’s own eyes behind his mask were narrowed and confused, and he spoke haltingly then as though unsure of how to proceed.

“Stay calm. Just a trick, doesn’t mean anything.”

_Please, come and see how wrong you are._

Obito hadn’t even realized he was now standing combat ready when Iroh put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t do this, Obito, it isn’t worth it to—”

“Old man, when you see a break, you take it.”

He had no desire to sit there and have a discussion with Iroh on the morality and consequences of fighting these soldiers, and he was entirely expecting his companion to push the subject. But slowly, the hand retracted from his shoulder as Iroh quietly backed down and Obito took a slow, measured breath.

Ahead of him, the captain said, “This is your final warning to lower that weapon and—”

The element of surprise was one of the other few things Obito had up his sleeve and the captain had barely gotten halfway through his ultimatum before the soldier standing directly in front of him spurt blood onto his commanding officer. Obito’s blade ran right through his open mouth and out the back of his head, and as each and every man around him reacted with the surprise that he had would have expected such an action to have, he withdrew the sword from his first casualty and neatly flicked it across the throat of the man most adjacent.

His speed that his enhanced eyes granted him was his strongest advantage. Two men down in the blink of an eye and the stunned and frightened reactions he was getting from the rest of the troops was enough to tell him he had more than enough time to carry on before needing to defend himself was even going to need to be an option.

Maneuvering tightly and close to the men as to deter their comrades from attacking, he zigged and zagged through their number, jabbing and slashing at every opening he could see. Not all his blows were struck with the intent of being fatal, but a quick slash through an Achilles tendon or biting his sword into the meat of a solder’s exposed wrist did just as much good in disabling them as killing them outright. In moments, he was surrounded by a storm of screams and blood, and Obito felt perfectly at home.

For a moment, he was able to just be caught up in his own prowess and the sick pleasure that battling a large group of these men head on gave him. They were helpless to stop him or even slow him; every move was a precise stroke of the brush without which the painting could not be completed.

But as he continued to spin his way through them, a new feeling had begun to grow in his gut. He had felt it when he had been chased by the robbers, and he felt it now, just as he knew he had felt it before. An anger, a despairing rage was beginning to rise in his innards, almost like a black mass that was growing outward and taking his entire body under its command. He felt horribly saddened and unspeakably furious at the same time while he whirled amongst the soldiers who might as well have been thin reeds blowing in the wind for all the good they—

_“Obito… I can see now why Madara chose you.”_

_“I see…_

_“I am…_

_“… in hell.”_

He froze then as the words that he knew to be memory flashed through his mental passage, reverberating and reminding him of something, something that had made him feel so angry, so sad…

Obito found he didn’t even care as his suddenly motionless body was struck by a great blow over the back of his head and he dropped to his knees, vision blurring. He could hear Iroh yell something, but another strike and he succumbed to the darkness, the soldiers, the sand, the city, all seeming suddenly so completely unimportant. Because Obito remembered a last thing then, a name. Simple, beautiful and unbearable to even remember upon.

 _Rin_.

* * *

Sasuke sat near the rear of Appa’s saddle, watching the island they had briefly called home disappear against the horizon. He was genuinely surprised that the bison was able to handle this many people, since supposedly, his usual load had only been four people plus a lemur. Now, laden with ten people, the bison still seemed able to fly through the air with relative ease, though Aang had warned ahead of time that they might need to take an extra break or two to give Appa a chance to rest. Just exactly how a giant hairy beast was able to simply fly through the air in utter defiance of gravity was beyond Sasuke, but for his current purposes, it seemed a moot point to pay it much mind.

They had awoke to briefly pack and eliminate traces of their camp just as the sky was just beginning to brighten. By the time the horizon had glinted pink with the approaching sun, they had taken to the sky in the direction that Azula had indicated. If her father was aboard his command ship, it would have been because he was preparing to make his move to invade the Earth Nation properly; she surmised that at the beginning of their flight that her father surely intended to take the Earth Nation’s continent with the arrival of Sozin’s comet being only days away. He would amass his superior navy and air fleet as deep in the canals as he could and then strike during the arrival of the aforementioned comet. Knowing that he was aboard his navy’s commanding vessel was key; if he wasn’t in the capital, it would be much easier to contest the security of a great many ships with their power spread out. Sasuke on the command ship on his own would likely be an easy task and it was one he was hoping he would be able to get away with.

The overall mood aboard Appa’s saddle could be described as apprehensive at best, and that emotion likely stuck for a number of reasons. Katara had proceeded during the morning hours as though nothing had transpired the previous night and was now choosing to entirely ignore Sasuke as though he weren’t there. He rather preferred this, but her clear coping mechanism was worrisome for how reliable she might be if they were suddenly to fall under attack.

Suki had gravitated towards actually staying relatively near Katara rather than Sokka, Sasuke supposed in an attempt to keep a close eye on her. Sasuke couldn’t tell, nor did he care all that much, but it seemed as though she and Sokka were a fair bit more distant around one another than he remembered them being when he had first arrived. It wasn’t for Suki’s lack of trying; he had seen her on more than one occasion try and press against him or go in for a kiss, but it was though Sokka had just resolutely shut down. He rarely spoke and seemed content to just go along for the ride, not at all the emotion he usually would expect out of Katara’s brother.

Aang was doing his best to appear optimistic about the endeavor, but Sasuke could tell the kid was a barrel of butterflies. He would mix up names, calling Sasuke ‘Azula’ at one point to the bemusement of just about everyone else, and seemed to be very much on edge. It didn’t matter greatly though how worried Aang was, Sasuke had every intention of keeping the Avatar from the absolute frontline of this operation if he could.

Azula herself had parked herself exceptionally close to Sasuke, close enough that he could have turned his head to the left, leaned forward slightly, and been nose to nose with her. After what she had done last night, he supposed this didn’t surprise him, but when Toph had climbed aboard and sat directly on the opposite side of him, he had definitely taken exception to that. Not because he disliked her company, but he could tell that the animosity between her and Azula was spiking based on the expressions they were making. Any moment, he might have expected them both to start tugging him back and forth like two children fighting over a favorite toy.

 _How annoying,_ he thought, but paid their contention little mind other than that. He was sure they would sort out their problems in time, though he hoped not violently.

Across from him were Mai, Zuko and Ty Lee, all of whom looked they had a great deal on their minds they wanted to say as they eyed Sasuke with the girls almost uncomfortably sandwiching him. But with the current fact that everyone was in such close proximity, not one of them apparently had words they were comfortable with everyone hearing.

Hours seemed to tick by with both exceptional speed and sluggish pacing. Sasuke kept himself occupied by sorting out everything he wanted to demand of Ozai in a list that ranged in varying levels of importance. He wanted to know about his people, why they had been killed, why he was the only one spared, how he had come to be in a Fire Nation temple without his memory, among other things. Ozai’s lying would be forced aside this time, and he would have his answers.

Eventually, around midafternoon, a small grouping of rocks ranging from the size of Appa to being the length and width of a small village appeared, jutting out of the deep blue ocean beneath them. Aang called out that they would take a respite there and give Appa a chance to recharge; while he was indeed capable to carrying such a mass of people it seemed, it was not in his power to do so for a great period of time without slowing down. Minutes later, they disembarked on the largest massive rock and split up to either stretch out in the sun or take care of their business.

“How long do you imagine this will take?” Sasuke asked as Zuko brushed by him to find a rocky crag to hide behind and relieve himself.

Aang gave Appa a look and the bison opened its massive mouth to give a short bellow. Turning back to Sasuke, Aang replied, “About an hour should do.”

Shaking his head at the kid’s uncanny ability to understand animals in such a clear way, Sasuke looked up to the sun, trying to more appropriately gauge how this would play out as far as timing. At the rate they were moving, it would be the dead of night by the time they reached the area where Ozai’s fleet was presumably resting. The perfect time to strike under the cover of dark, but also potentially the more risky time frame as well. Sasuke waved at Aang in thanks for the answer and walked off, slowly treading by the smooth igneous spires that rose from their little hideaway.

At night, Ozai would likely the most expectant of a sneak attack and rightfully so. The dark was a blanket that could be thrown over just about anything, to smother an undertaking that would be impossible to manage during the brightness of daytime. He would have countless guards, hidden assassins waiting for prey to walk into their blades, ships upon ships stocked with firepower enough to flatten an entire island.

_It doesn’t matter._

Not for the first time, Sasuke had to remind himself that he was unspeakably powerful compared to these people, and much more so than he had been when he confronted Ozai in the royal palace. His chakra flow seemed wider, more flowing and less restrictive with a much greater amount to draw from. His speed and strength was seeing a rise in potency as well as he had experienced against the island natives, and jutsu returned to his memory by the day. Never the actual recollections of how he had obtained these techniques, of course, but the ability to conduct them was returning with a gradual consistency. His transformation jutsu for example that he had been able to employ at the festival was just one of—

A hand reached out with startling precision and caught him by his loose shirt’s collar, yanking him around the side of a larger spire of volcanic rock. At once, he was pushed up against it, feeling the sea soaked crag behind him wetting the back of his clothes as he stared at the person who had so roughly pulled him to them.

“Did you do it?” Mai whispered furiously. Ty Lee was behind her, arms crossed and eyes intense. Sasuke moved his eyes from one young woman to the other before reaching up and gently taking Mai’s wrists off his shoulders. She inhaled at his touch, but allowed him to guide her arms off of him.

“Don’t do that ever again,” he said in a low voice and she seemed to cave, at least momentarily as he added, “As to your question, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Looking ready to bark it at him, Mai instead ran off to the left and right, looking around to see if someone had perhaps come close enough to be in earshot. When she looked convinced that they were alone enough and the crashing of the ocean just beneath them was enough to drown out their conversation, she turned back to him and snapped.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Last night, Azula got awful close to you. And it wasn’t hard to tell what she was trying to do, but we couldn’t tell from the dark if it actually happened.”

He knew where this was going, but Sasuke couldn’t resist the slight joy that playing dumb gave him in that moment.

“I helped her stand up if that’s what you’re asking.”

Ty Lee stepped up beside Mai, teeth bared. “Did you kiss her, Sasuke?”

It was something he found that he had actually done a fairly good job at pushing from his mind, though being reminded of it now was enough to make his heart jump. As he looked at the two women who both looked to be seconds away from tearing their own hair out in anxiety, he felt what he supposed might be pity. Despite Azula’s utterly selfish and abusive nature, these two still cared about her, as hopeless an endeavor as that might have been.

“She tried to kiss me, yes.”

Ty Lee made a noise that sounded like someone had just slammed her in the shins with a steel pipe. Mai nodded slowly and seemed to be trying to contain her own emotions before she asked, “And?”

_And what?_

That would have been the obvious response that so quickly sprung to Sasuke’s mind, but as he looked at the suffering that was very clearly written on both their faces, he found he couldn’t bring himself to be his traditional snarky self and instead opted to just answer her question. As he looked back into Mai’s eyes, he couldn’t help but be impressed by how beautiful she was when she got so intense like this.

“I stopped her.”

Ty Lee closed her eyes and Sasuke saw a tear leak from one of them and he ran his tongue against his teeth in a move of utter bewilderment, a move that they both fortunately couldn’t see.

_She really cares._

Mai turned to Ty Lee and put a hand on her shoulder. She half-looked back to Sasuke, looking herself like a great relief had been lifted off her shoulders.

“We’re sorry. We just… had to know.”

Sasuke shrugged. “Sure.”

He remembered just how upset Toph had seemed the previous night when she had snapped at him about Azula getting up on him. It was clear Azula’s attitude and personal feelings towards him were hardly just a concern of his own, which was certainly an annoyance in and of itself. Ahead of him, Mai and Ty Lee walked slowly away without meeting his eyes, both looking ready to pass out from mental exhaustion and Sasuke waited for them to pass before walking the opposite direction.

On the other end of the island, about a hundred yards from where they had landed, the spires stopped rising from the slab’s surface and Sasuke was able to fully feel the sun beating down on him as the crashing of the waves roared in his ears.

He wondered what was hurting him more, the fact that Mai and Ty Lee were both so utterly loyal to someone who was so dismissive of their friendship, or the fact that he had lied.

* * *

Azula somehow seemed sure that there would never be a moment going forward that she wasn’t going to be thinking about it. It had occupied her thoughts as they had woken that morning, as they had loaded up and during their entire journey thus far. It was an act that she hadn’t been sure she wanted to perform on anyone in such a capacity, but not only had she finally found that person in Sasuke, but she had gotten it as well. And why shouldn’t she have? She had never been denied anything before that was of her desire, and his lips were no exception.

It was as much a show of ownership as it was one of passion; with that move, Sasuke had been bound to her through some wordless contract and this was Azula’s first step in securing him.

_Unless…_

There were those doubts again. He hadn’t reciprocated the brush of her lips, he had simply allowed her to so that she might develop some false sense that she had claimed him. This was just his way of getting her off of him long enough for him to pursue his own goals. It was the same thing he had done and was doing with Toph, facading affection enough to meet his own gains.

It was with difficulty that Azula kept herself from shouting in frustration, and blowing a firestorm into the sky. She should have been feeling elation, satisfaction, perhaps even joy after what she had done. But instead, her concern that Sasuke was as much using her as she was him had only increased. Aggravation of the most hideous kind was eating her insides alive and she wanted to tear off her clothes, her skin, to find that frantic pulsing inside of her and snuff it out for good. The anxiety did nothing but diminish her perception, her focus, her—

“Azula?”

Her attention.

She turned to see Mai walking up to her, a nervous look on her face. Azula managed to stop her fists from shaking and unclenched them like pliers, the sweat on her palms cold as they were swept by the ocean breeze.

“What?” she fairly snapped. She had no time to be bothered in any capacity, she needed to keep reflecting on herself and Sasuke; surely she had missed something, some piece of the puzzle that would make everything clear, that piece that would tell her exactly how she could finally win Sasuke over and—

“Azula!”

She blinked and looked back at Mai who had snapped her fingers in front of her face. Her childhood friend was looking perplexed and frustrated.

“I asked, have you talked to Sasuke since last night?”

This was more than enough to gain Azula’s attention then and she straightened her back in indignation. “Is that any of your business, Mai?”

Gritting her teeth, Mai looked behind her to where the rest of the group was starting to congregate back near Appa a couple dozen yards away to prepare to disembark.

“Cut it out, ‘Zula. I saw what happened last night.”

Azula bristled at this, but smiled arrogantly, feeling a sting of pride in her gut. “So? Are you going to tell me that what I did was wrong?”

Her friend shrugged, “Depends why you did it.”

Blinking and widening her smile in disbelief that Mai was overstepping this far, Azula leaned forward. “It does?!”

Stepping away and running a hand over her face, Mai looked more than a little distressed. “You kissed Sasuke because you’re trying to own him. You’re doing everything in your power to convince him to be with you. Everyone in your life you’ve been able to buy over because they stand beneath you in the societal pecking order, or through fear and intimidation. You did that with the other girls at the academy, you did it with soldiers and officers, you’d do it to us if you thought we’d get knocked down by it.”

Azula glared at Mai, waiting to hear a point in all this.

“But Sasuke is the first one you’ve wanted to hold under your thumb that you haven’t been able to win over by the usual means. He’s not beneath you, he’s not loyal to you, and he’s much more powerful than you. So you’ve been doing all these things to try and convince him, and yourself, that you being with him is the best thing that could happen. You fought him to show your toughness, you strive to be near him to show your affection, you took a public lashing for shit’s sake to show him your resolve. And last night, you kissed him because you thought that would be the cherry on top and he would finally accept your control and give you his loyalty.”

Azula sneered, “I don’t think I’m seeing an issue with your reasoning. Why say all this if you already know what’s happened and why?”

A dark smirk crossed Mai’s face then. “Because it didn’t work. Sasuke is just as personally mysterious as ever, not telling anyone how he’s feeling. I just went with Ty to ask him about last night—”

“You what?!” Azula snarled, her heart suddenly starting to hammer. Mai carried on as though she hadn’t heard her.

“And he denied that a kiss ever happened. He’s not willing to admit it happened.”

It was as though a freezing dagger much like the one Katara had used last night had sunk right into Azula’s gut and she could only stare blankly at Mai for a moment.

“He… what…?”

For some reason, she just couldn’t comprehend it; of course, Mai and Ty Lee should have had no business sticking their noses into her business like that, but if what she said was true… had he really not cared to admit what had happened? Why?

_Why?_

“I don’t think you and Sasuke belong within a hundred miles of one another,” Mai said flatly. “But if he’s really what you want, if you think that this could be more than just possessing him, that you might be able to love him… this isn’t going to work.”

She turned away and added a last thought over her shoulder as she moved to rejoin the group.

“You both need better than one another.”

The numbness Azula felt wouldn’t dissipate for quite some time after that.

* * *

“Hey.”

Sitting on a raised piece of the crag, Toph was able to tell Ty Lee’s footsteps coming a mile away; her light pace and bouncy treading was something that had become instantly recognizable to her.

“Hey,” she said back. In truth, she really didn’t want company of any sort, but she would have been lying if she didn’t admit that Ty Lee had grown on her surprisingly quickly since the Fire Nation women had joined the group. She had come to Toph’s aid during General Ako’s attempted invasion of the temple and ever since, Toph had found she enjoyed the acrobat’s company and it seemed clear that the feeling was at least somewhat mutual.

As Ty Lee sat down next to her, she asked, “Did you just talk to Sasuke?”

Through the rock, she felt the girl tense up. “Why would you think that?”

“You’ve got a way that you walk after you talk to him. I’ve felt it before and not just from you.” Toph assumed that Ty Lee would be more than comfortable lying to her, but instead she heard a loud sigh next to her and a dejected one.

“It was that obvious, huh?”

Toph rubbed the stone beneath where she sat. “When you’re like me, you kind of go about things a different way. I can’t see people’s expressions, but I can tell just as much if not more from what they feel like.”

For a moment, they sat in silence before Ty Lee said, “Yeah, I talked to him. Me and Mai both.”

“What about?” Toph tried to sound as uncaring as she could, but there was a tremor in her voice that she couldn’t keep from coming through. If Ty Lee noticed it, she didn’t say anything.

“Well… we saw him last night with Azula. They were a little close to each other and Mai and I just wanted to know if… well, Azula wouldn’t admit anything I’m sure, so we decided to ask him.”

All at once, Toph’s heart was hammering against her chest. It was torture to even consider the question, but she still quietly asked, “And?”

She knew Ty Lee must have been looking at her carefully with how long she took to reply.

“He said that nothing happened.”

It was a small comfort as he could have easily been lying, but Toph still let out a relieved breath of air that she tried to disguise as a shaky sigh. This didn’t seem to fool Ty Lee.

“Toph… I know that you… have feelings for him.”

Curling her toes in an effort to keep a miasma of anxiety held off, Toph chewed the inside of her mouth nervously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The laugh that Ty Lee gave then sounded almost sad.

“C’mon, Toph, none of us are that stupid. Maybe you think that just because you don’t talk about it, we don’t notice, but everyone sees the way that you look when he’s around.”

Knowing that further trying to lie was a waste of time, Toph instead adopted a defensive tone. “So what, I’m not allowed to have a crush?”

Ty Lee laughed again, this time more genuinely. “Not at all. I mean, honestly… he is really cute.”

 _I knew it,_ Toph thought.

“But he’s also one of the scariest, most unpredictable people I’ve ever met,” Ty Lee added.

“No worse than her royal highness,” Toph retorted and she could nearly hear Ty Lee wince.

“Fair enough. I guess I just don’t want to see you get hurt because of him.”

“Didn’t you hear me last night?” Toph demanded. “He would never hurt me.”

“I know you think that,” Ty Lee replied. “And I hope you’re right, I really do. Just do yourself a favor and keep your guard up, huh?”

Toph didn’t know what to say to this. She knew that she would be wise to be wary of Sasuke, to always keep in mind what she knew he was capable of, but so much of her just wanted to push all that to the side. Her head had nearly drifted into the clouds last night as he had allowed her to cuddle up next to him; despite her tears, it had been one of the most thrilling moments of her life, and she wasn’t sure why. Ty Lee was right, but Toph didn’t want her to be.

“You two, come on!! We’re mounting up!!”

Suki’s words carried over the rush of the ocean and Toph felt the rest of the group starting to gather near where Appa had been resting. Ty Lee got up from the rock first, putting a hand on Toph’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. Before she could let go, Toph reached up and grabbed her hand, squeezing it back; she could feel Ty Lee’s surprise, but for Toph, being able to feel this kind of measured closeness with someone else was a gift she rarely pursued. And as she got up to follow her new friend over to Appa, she realized that despite what she said, her proclamation hadn’t been true.

Sasuke was hurting her every minute of every day.

* * *

“Our spies have come back with the same report on all fronts,” the lead scoutmaster said. “Based on the gathering of certain peoples and the confirmation that members of the Order of the White Lotus are within the city limits, we can only assume that the retaking of the city is imminent.”

Ozai looked up from the reports and stroked his chin.

“Does anyone have an estimate on the window we’re looking at?” he inquired. His scoutmaster looked to his military advisors before replying.

“It’s difficult to say, your highness, but given what we know, Ba Sing Se will likely fall back into the hands of the Earth Nation before the arrival of Sozin’s Comet, perhaps within mere hours from now.”

Considering this, Ozai leaned back in his throne. Aboard his flagship, he was being briefed by all of his most accomplished and efficient military men and women, and this news that Ba Sing Se would be retaken seemed to have them all worried that he was about to explode angrily and begin errantly executing officers. But the Fire Lord found that the city of Ba Sing Se was hardly something that was that great of a setback. In reality, it was also not even at the forefront of his thoughts.

“Very well. Pull the troops that you can out of the city and away from the internment camps. If the forces are as you say they are, unnecessary losses that can be avoided should be.”

His generals bowed their heads. Ozai turned back to the scoutmaster. “You said that my brother was spotted as well?”

“He was, your highness, but he was able to evade capture. We can mobilize a force to try and apprehend him alongside the other White Lotus members if—”

Ozai waved a hand dismissively. “Not necessary. Let my brother play his little games; if he wants to disappear then let him.”

His gaze moved towards his lead admiral.

“What news from the island?”

The admiral stepped forward and bowed before replying.

“Your highness, preliminary reporting seems to have been only somewhat off in regards to actual facts. The festival was indeed interrupted by a group of young radicals, your daughter among them. According to multiple eyewitness reports and his own admission, the warden of Boiling Rock prison was head among the soldiers to capture her, and he proceeded to have her flogged before the prisoner Shen.”

The atmosphere of the room darkened and a stifling weight seemed to settle over all. The admiral swallowed as Ozai slowly looked up.

“He had my daughter whipped.”

“Yes, your highness.”

“Like a common thief.”

“Yes, your highness.”

“And he confessed to doing so?”

“Yes, your highness.”

Ozai could only stare before he waved a hand after several arduous seconds. “Carry on. What of my chief advisor?”

“Several bones broken and badly shaken up.”

“He was interrogated?”

“From what we’ve been able to gather, yes. He’s passed out due to shock now, but he’s on a vessel here now and we will be able to question him further then.”

“Very well.”

Ozai processed all that he had heard and asked, “What of the others? The ones with my daughter?”

The admiral pulled free a scroll of her own and looked down what was surely a list of details that had been reported on.

“You highness, we suspect that the young earthbender suspected of training the Avatar was among them as well as another girl who we believe to be the Kyoshi warrior who escaped from prison last week. And the last… well, we have reason to believe it was the boy.”

It wasn’t necessary for her to clarify; the subject of almost all of Ozai’s orders to research and track had ceased being the Avatar in recent days and had become the boy who had been able to stand against Ozai himself. But now…

“So, he _and_ my daughter are traveling alongside the Avatar.”

He stepped away from the table with an air of finality. “This will make wiping them out that much easier.”

Waving a hand at the lot of them, he turned back to the massive window the overlooked the bow of his ship.

“Dismissed.”

As his group of top individuals bowed low and began to exit, they were nearly knocked aside as Ozai’s chief of security came practically running into the room. The utter insubordination for charging in on a meeting of this sort without being invited, nor announcing himself might have been enough for Ozai to order him struck dead, but the moment he spoke, all thoughts of punishment were erased.

“Sir. He’s arrived.”

Clasping his fingers together with eagerness, Ozai grinned. “Excellent. I will see him now.”

His chief of security gave him a look of surprise. “Sir? Now?”

His smile disappeared as he adopted a look of annoyed aggravation. “Yes, now. Make sure he is allowed every comfort, he is not to be treated as a prisoner.”

“But… sir, he killed several of our soldiers and—”

“Another word and I’ll have you beheaded and thrown into the ocean.”

The chief of security swallowed, bowed deeply and followed the admirals, generals and advisors out the door that slammed shut with a ringing boom, leaving Ozai alone in his massive study.

He turned back to the window to see the very person in question being urged on deck from a scouting blimp. The fastest type of airship in his fleet, Ozai had ordered this particular person to be escorted here with the greatest of speed upon learning that he had not only been traveling with Iroh, but also upon learning just what he was.

_Sasuke… I don’t believe you are as alone as you think._


	16. Chapter 16

** Chapter 16: Tension **

Obito wasn’t sure what to think as he was ushered along a massive open deck aboard a ship that could have been the size of a town. He looked at the dozens upon dozens of Fire Nation soldiers and found himself more than a little perplexed; he had awoken just moments before the airship he had been loaded on had touched down next to this gigantic warship and been asked, rather politely, if he wouldn’t mind stepping aboard. He didn’t know where he was in relation to Ba Sing Se, nor had he seen any sign of Iroh. Since boarding the ship, he had been treated quite respectfully, but the soldiers escorting him towards the ship’s interior hardly seemed chatty and it was clear very quickly to him that his questions weren’t about to be answered by any one of them.

The ship’s interior seemed even bigger than it had on the outside and Obito found himself wondering how the beast of metal was even able to stay afloat. Inside were even more soldiers, weapons, cannons and all sorts of pieces of the Fire Nation war machine. It struck Obito that it was very possible, in fact it was very likely, that he was being led to a torture or perhaps execution chamber where he would choke out his last moments at the hands of a Fire Nation interrogator, but he allowed himself to be led along anyway for two distinct reasons.

He was relatively confident that if extracting information or killing him had been the primary goal, there would have been no reason to haul him all this way just to dump him on board what was likely one of the most impressive ships in the Fire Nation fleet.

But secondly, and much more significantly, Obito was remembering. He was remembering a great deal. His life story was still a vague mess to him, with names like Rin and Kakashi now floating about, but the word jutsu had rekindled inside him and with it, a whole host of methods and actions he could use to easily extradite himself from any potentially bad situation. His eyes, his Sharingan and Rinnegan housed a great deal of power as well; as he remembered their names, so too did he remember the wealth of advantages they provided him. They were hidden now, but were ready to come to life at a moment’s notice and aid him.

And so, Obito let himself be led through the ship. For, even though his combative assets had been returned to him, he still was very lost in this world. And if he could be granted some level of clarity wherever he was being taken, this detour could prove to be entirely worthwhile.

That, and he was deeply hoping he would be able to find Iroh in once piece.

Eventually, he was led to a massive pair of doors that loomed the height of four men above him and his escorts halted.

“The Fire Lord will see you now,” the chief officer in charge said and pushed the door with effort and it gently swung open.

_Fire Lord?_

This was all Obito had time to think before he was pushed through and the door boomed shut behind him, leaving him alone with the room’s only occupant.

It was a study or an office of some kind; a long table covered in scrolls and maps was spread out in its center with vast, ornate windows looking out over the ocean and land mass the ship was anchored off of. A throne sat furthest from the door, unoccupied and beside it was a much smaller table upon which a tall, imposing man was scribbling something down. He turned as the door closed and smiled.

“Thank you for taking the time to see me,” said the man. His voice was silky and smooth, but slightly unsettling to Obito’s ears.

“I wasn’t aware I had a choice,” Obito replied. He was aware that the person must be the Fire Lord, but he had no intention of being totally submissive to any authority figure, regardless of whether or not he sounded rude in the process. The man before him seemed to take no offense and moved away from the table towards him.

“I apologize for the nature of your arrival, but I’m afraid it was more or less necessary given the state of things.”

He extended a hand as he came within distance of Obito.

“I am Fire Lord Ozai.”

Obito took his hand and shook it firmly. He was immediately impressed by Ozai’s appearance; tall and broad shouldered with straight black hair and a pointed beard that angled down from his chin. His robes were certainly those of a person of high stature and Obito supposed that he couldn’t have been talking to a higher power in the whole of the Four Nations he had come to be aware of.

“It’s an honor… your highness.”

He added the last bit he supposed a moment too late, but Ozai again took no offense and offered another warm smile.

“Again, I must apologize for how you came to be here... my men say your name is Obito?”

“What, you don’t send your soldiers to kill travelers for fun on the daily?” Obito asked, ignoring the bit regarding his name. He was proceeding in as measured a provoking way as he could; he needed to see if he could make the Fire Lord tick.

Ozai’s face became regretful. “You’ll please forgive my men’s actions. At the time they encountered you, we believe there was a coup underway to take over the city of Ba Sing Se from my regency.”

“To retake the city you mean.”

Shaking his head, Ozai turned towards the grand table in the center of the room. “I’m afraid you may have been misinformed. Ba Sing Se is, and always has been, Fire Nation territory. When they declared war a hundred or so years ago, it became a city frequently fought for contention, and I believe that it actually be once again under Earth Nation control again as we speak.”

Frowning, Obito walked over to join him and looked down to see a large map that spanned out over what must have been all four nation. The city of Ba Sing Se was deep in the center of Earth Nation territory, a territory that looked much larger than any other.

“I saw your men forcing thousands of people into internment camps outside the city. And you’re telling me that Ba Sing Se is your city?”

Ozai gave a long exhale through his nose. “During wartime, difficult decisions need to be made. Controlling that city would have been key in taking back so much land that rightfully belongs to others.”

Turning to regard the Fire Lord, Obito decided to give the Fire Lord a chance to explain. “I don’t understand. Everywhere I’ve traveled, it’s as though the Earth and Fire Nations are nothing more than a group of self-righteous barbarians, battling for control. I’ve seen both sides commit what are surely war crimes and often purely for the sport of it.”

Gazing down at the map as though he could see his entire life stretched across it, Ozai replied, “I regret that not all my soldiers are good men at heart. But I fear that decades of war will force even good men to turn to despicable actions as their morality is worn down by the reality of this conflict.”

He gestured to the lettering that spelled out “Earth Nation.”

“A hundred or so years ago, the Fire Nation invaded the Air Nation in an attempt to secure the Avatar.”

Obito nodded slowly. “I’ve heard that title.”

The Fire Lord gave him another look of deep-seeded regret. “That title is unfortunately the cause of this entire conflict. The Air Nation refused to share the Avatar, a person who collectively is destined to serve all four nations, with the rest of us. Fearing for our safety, my grandfather attempted to secure this person and thus began a horrible conflict that has followed us to this day.”

“I don’t deny my nation was the cause of the conflict’s origin, but it was the Earth Nation who took advantage of the fighting. Blaming our people, they invaded the Air Nation temples across all corners of the known world and wiped their entire people out. From there, they forced the Fire Nation back east and pushed the Water Nation to the north and south. Through sheer manpower and numbers, they have spent decades forcing us away until they’ve even absorbed the Water Nation, adding their power to their own, and installing proxy leaders to feign the idea that the Water Nation is still free. In truth, they are enslaved, and the Fire Nation will be next, unless, soon, I can make a move that will break their tyrannical grip on the world.”

The words that Ozai spoke were rich with emotion and passion, that much Obito could tell. As the Fire Lord finished talking, he waited a moment and then said, “It looks an awful lot like you’re invading to me, rather than protecting yourselves.”

A strained look passed over Ozai’s face. “I no longer have a choice. For years, I attempted to simply keep the Earth Nation at bay, but they have pushed further and further until they attempted an invasion on the Fire Nation capital, my home, in an attempt to silence me and take over the last free Nation for good. Only weeks ago, an attempt was made on my life, one that I barely survived and then another was made barely a week later. If I do not move forward now, I fear I will not be so lucky to survive a third time.”

Obito studied the map and saw that there were markers that must have indicated these supposed invasions and assassination attempts.

“These invaders, the Earth Nation?”

There was a long pause before Ozai replied, his words thick with pain. “I’m afraid not entirely. Allied with the Earth Nation is the Avatar whom they have coerced into doing their bidding. The Avatar, barely a young man, has assembled a team of other younger benders and allies that have been wreaking havoc on my soldiers for nearly a year now. They were the ones who attempted to kill me, both times.”

At this, Obito could only stare. “How young are we talking?”

Ozai shrugged. “Hard to say, but I would imagine his group ranges from twelve to sixteen years of age across all their members.”

Grunting, Obito looked back at the map. “Children.”

“Scoff if you must, but these are no ordinary children. They are battle-hardened, exceptionally strong in their own right, and have seen more violence than most people will see in a lifetime. They have been forced to mature under extreme circumstances, and though I cannot condone the path they have chosen, I pity them still.”

“Why?” Obito asked.

It was clear then that what came next was not only a sore subject for Ozai, but he also seemed to very much be still dealing with the issue that he posed.

“Because among them are my children.”

This was certainly unexpected. Obito watched as Ozai shifted uncomfortably, pain and humiliation etched on his face. “While I spent my life fighting a war for the sake of my nation, the Avatar and his cohorts stole my children away from me, with promises of glory and riches and power, and turning them against me. As a leader, I must brush aside this loss, but I fear that if it comes down to my children… this might break me, truly.”

He looked rather alone then and Obito, in an attempt to stay objective, did his best to not feel pity just then. Instead, he asked with a sigh, “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me why I was brought here. Why you’re granting me an audience and telling me what is very clearly some deeply personal information.”

Ozai looked to him slowly and sighed in return.

“I suppose there are a couple reasons. Firstly, you traveled the length of Ba Sing Se in the company of none other than my brother.”

This was perhaps even more unexpected. Shaking his head, Obito asked, “I’m sorry?”

Smiling in faint amusement at his reaction, Ozai continued. “My brother, Iroh. He seemed to be on the same path to the city as you and I suppose you joined up for the length of the journey, My brother always made for good traveling company.”

Obito fixed the Fire Lord with a suspicious look. “In all our talks, he never mentioned that he was your brother. And he didn’t exactly seem to have a very pleasant outlook on the Fire Nation.”

Yet again, regret passed over Ozai’s face.

“I’m afraid that would have to be my fault. Did he mention a nephew at all?”

As he thought back, Obito could indeed remember talks of a nephew.

“He did.”

Ozai nodded, “That would be my son. Years ago, he committed a treasonous act that my brother was blamed for as well. I was greatly pained when I was forced to banish them both, but it only came to light long after that my brother was innocent of those crimes, only quite recently in fact.”

The Fire Lord pressed his long fingers against the table.

“He left my son’s company and has been wandering the lands as an exile since the day he left the nation, but I have been trying desperately to relocate him and bring him home; he still believes himself to be wanted under charges of treason, charges that now only are beholden to my son and daughter.”

He gestured to the outskirts of Ba Sing Se on the map. “The soldiers you encountered believed you were a criminal who was taking him to the city for a ransom. Hence their aggression towards you.”

It was all a bit to take in, but it made sense as to why Iroh had never mentioned the truth of his past; why would he go saying all that to Obito someone he barely knew?

“Where is Iroh?” he practically blurted out then. If this was truly all the case, then this was no doubt at least something of a happy family reunion, and Obito wanted very much to know that his older traveling companion was safe.

This was when perhaps the most pained look of all crossed Ozai’s face.

“I’m afraid… just after my men were able to apprehend you, a massive Earth Nation fighting force arrived, one of many, to besiege the city. Many of the soldiers you had been facing were killed and the few that survived made to take you to me, as per my orders.”

He paused for a moment. “And in this chaos, my brother was taken prisoner.”

It was a struggle for Obito to not look as distressed as he felt, as he distantly chided himself.

_You’re getting all worked up over an old man you only knew for a few days?_

But Iroh had been a lot more than just a travel companion, and he knew that.

“That’s better than them just killing him outright, I suppose,” he managed to say, but Ozai didn’t look like those words gave him any comfort.

“You might think so… but the Earth Nation army made up of many depraved and brutal people, with their leadership being no exception. My wife… years ago, she was on a diplomatic mission to the city of Omashu when she was taken captive by the Earth Nation’s army. Without so much as offering a chance for me to negotiate her release, they beheaded her and hung her head from the wall of Ba Sing Se, in an act of defiance.”

The Fire Lord clenched his fists and the edges of his mouth pulled in disgust.

“Years later, they attempted to convince my children that her death had been my fault. And I daresay that it worked, considering the battle line they have chosen to stand on.”

If this was all true, then Obito had to admit himself impressed. Ozai seemed to have suffered nothing but loss, but still was doing his all to maintain leadership and focus on balancing the world’s power, despite all his grieving that was no doubt a constant piece of each day for him. Nevertheless, he attempted to remain objective.

“So, that’s reason one, I was traveling with your brother. The other?”

Now, Ozai’s face briefly dipped into something that might have been… excitement? No, that couldn’t have been right. The emotion was gone in the blink of an eye though and Obito wasn’t sure what it was he had seen as Ozai continued again in his usual, controlled tone.

“I don’t suppose you would happen to be familiar with all parts of your memory, would you?”

No small amount of suspicion passed through Obito then and he narrowed his eyes, “How could you possibly know that?”

Ozai didn’t seem remotely perturbed by his guest’s sudden potential hostility.

“My men who survived both you and the Earth Nation reported that your eyes had glowed in the strangest way when you had been engaged. That you had fought with speed and ability unlike anything they had ever seen.”

“What does that have to do with my memory?” Obito nearly snapped. This sudden revelation that Ozai might know more about him than even he did was more than a little unsettling and he had lost most of his will to be patient.

The Fire Lord hardly seemed put off by this aggressiveness though and nodded as though Obito had all but answered his question.

“Among the Avatar’s team of young assassins is a boy rather like you. Black fair, odd dress, and with a certain penchant for being a warrior unlike anything reported in all the four nations, with eyes of his own that seem to glow during battle.”

_Another like me?_

Obito tried to contain his bewilderment as Ozai continued, “He arrived within the last week in an attempt to kill me, and I was barely able to survive the encounter. He was powerful indeed and I frankly have no doubt he and his group will make another pass at me, perhaps as early as tonight.”

Though he heard the rest of what Ozai said, Obito was still transfixed on the possibility of what was being suggested.

“And this person,” he asked slowly. “He also had no access to his memory?”

Ozai raised and lowered his shoulders, “Perhaps bits and pieces, but he made to interrogate me over what he didn’t know, so I imagine that the majority of it remained unknown.”

The Fire Lord spread his hands in a gesture of good will. “The final truth is this: I had you brought here in the hopes that you might aid me in restoring peace to this land, and saving my brother before what I believe will certainly be execution. In turn, I will offer my wealth of resources to aid you in recovering your memory, no matter what that might entail.”

It took Obito near a minute to process this as the Fire Lord allowed him to do so without speaking another word. He truly wasn’t sure he knew how to react to any of it and he could only think to ask a hollow question, “And I suppose if I refuse, I’m a prisoner?”

Ozai shook his head.

“If you believe this to be a path best pursued on your own, I will not stand in your way. Despite the numerous attempts by propaganda to paint me as some tyrant, I have no desire to force my fellow man to abide by my bidding. If you wish to leave, now, then I will not stop you.”

As he finished his reply, Ozai readopted his calm and sad expression that he had been wearing for most of the encounter. It had exceptionally easy to take Obito down a rabbit hole of lies once he had gotten going and he was actually finding it difficult not to crack a smile as he tried to think of a single truth that he had mentioned. He had lied about his children, about his wife, about the Earth Nation, about his brother, about his very own nature and had done it all, he thought, with a genuine lack of supposed fraudulence.

But what he thought of his performance wasn’t anything close to important in that moment. All that mattered was what Obito thought of it.

He was taking the most sizeable risk in offering Obito freedom in that moment; it would have likely been more effective to rather forcibly request for the young man’s aid, but if this paid off, Ozai would have been able to manage it with the purest lie imaginable. If he believed it, it would be a belief in Ozai as much as the false truth, a trust in a person who had offered him every chance to go. If Obito’s skills were anything even remotely on par with what Sasuke had displayed, it made his coming plan all the more feasible.

But in that singular moment, all Ozai could do was watch, and wait.

* * *

Sasuke put a foot just on the edge of the cliffside, dangerously close to the edge as he ignored Suki and Toph both interject warnings that he was too close to tumbling into the ocean over a kilometer beneath them.

“That’s them, huh?” he instead asked and Azula came up beside him, nodding in the twilight.

They had seen the countless lights beneath them as they had flown over the coast to alight on the cliff where they were currently standing, Appa entirely exhausted and sleeping a couple dozen meters behind them. Now that he could eye them properly, Sasuke could see that the metal ships that dotted along the coast numbered well over a hundred, each of them sporting orange glowing lamps that indicated their presence. They ranged in size, from vessels only a couple times larger than Appa, to massive ships that could have passed for small islands.

“My father isn’t holding anything back,” Zuko murmured behind him and Azula turned to fix him with a disdainful look that Sasuke had come to expect whenever she addressed her brother.

“Why would he? The comet will give him every opportunity to wipe out the pathetic Earth Nation forces once and for all; the more forces he takes with him, the easier it will be.”

“Don’t be so sure, your highness, you Fire Nation nobles are a lot better at overestimating yourselves than you think,” Toph muttered and Azula, of course, flared up immediately.

“Nobles? I’m sorry, who lived a sheltered and privileged life, being pampered for years? You’re no better than us, tunnel rat.”

Knowing that this full well could break out into yet another angry confrontation, Sasuke spoke up before Toph could fire off a retort.

“Which ship is the flagship?”

This fortunately took Azula’s attention away from arguing, and she pointed to one of the larger ships, perhaps the largest one, floating pretty much dead center in the fleet. “The _Azulon_ , a gift from his father. Any time he’s taken to the seas, it’s been aboard that ship.”

Sasuke stared at the vessel. From a distance, it didn’t appear that large whatsoever, but that was just perspective playing tricks on him. Based on what he could tell, the vessel could have been as large as the royal palace itself were it stood up straight.

“Perfect.”

He turned and moved away from the cliffside, and knelt next to his pack, pulling free some kunai and running down his supplies and what he thought would be necessary to take with him. Sasuke was at this for a good several seconds before he realized just how quiet it had grown behind him. It had come to his understanding that this was a group of people who always had at least two people talking about _something_ whether it be important or not. For them to be utterly silent in that moment told him all he needed to know and he slowly straightened and turned deliberately to face them all.

Every set of eyes was angled his way expectantly; they all appeared ready for him to launch into… well, something.

“What?” he asked, sliding his extra kunai out of sight under his garments. As though they weren’t sure what he was confused about, the group exchanged glances before Katara inclined her chin at him.

“What’s the plan?” she asked and this question seemed to satisfy everyone else and they returned to watching him intently. Sasuke looked them all over a moment, gazing from the worried expressions of Ty Lee and Aang, to the almost challenging expressions of Katara and Azula.

“I’m going down there and I’m going to find Ozai.”

He said this as matter-of-factly as he could, before realizing what a mistake he had just made. Immediately, Katara turned to look at Aang, her hands on her hips.

“See?! This was just a ploy to get here, he doesn’t actually want any of us along!!”

 _Of course I don’t,_ Sasuke almost snapped, but knew this was a situation he was going to have to try and recover from quickly. Had he been paying attention, he would have made up some lie about them moving down the cliffside to the water below and using Katara and Aang’s abilities to approach the ship, or some such nonsense, after of course they took a quick rest before embarking with this plan. With everyone getting some surely needed sleep, slipping away would have been all too easy.

He held up his hands in an effort to retract any implications he had just made, “No, I didn’t mean like that, I just—”

“Sure you didn’t!!” Katara snapped, pointing at him accusatorily. “We’re just tools for you to use until you don’t need us any more, is that it?”

Sasuke was surprised to find Mai coming to his defense, her voice a low, shaming tone that cut across Katara’s furious articulations.

“Lay off him, Katara, even if he’s not telling the truth, you’re hardly one to get on him about keeping secrets.”

As Katara’s glare slowly turned to regard Mai, Sasuke sighed through his nose and pinched the bridge of it. Of course, this had to get ugly.

“And I don’t think you’re any more granted to lecture anyone than me, Mai” Katara seethed. “After all, for all I’ve done, I don’t think I went and shared a hotspring with him, did I?”

 _Oh, damn it all,_ Sasuke thought gloomily as the overall attitude of the group shifted drastically. Suki and Ty Lee’s eyes doubled in size as Mai’s face went bright red. Zuko’s expression became both shocked and crestfallen at the same time and Azula’s nostrils flared angrily as she shouted, “What?!”

Katara’s expression, while still vehemently angry, seemed to become regretful as she surely realized the consequences of what she had just said and Aang, who was wearing a deeply troubled expression, was shouldered aside by Toph, who stomped up to Sasuke and looked up at him with an enflamed expression.

“Is this true?!”

Sasuke, unsure of how to handle this, turned his eyes towards Mai who gazed back at him with a pair of terrified eyes, a proper contrast to her usual sulky and reserved expression. Sasuke then heard himself say perhaps the worse possible response he could give to such a question.

“So?”

There was a rush of movement then and he had time to watch Zuko bearing down on him with an incensed expression. Sasuke’s Sharingan flashed for a moment, allowing himself to allow the most acceptable angle to take the hit. His head still snapped to the left as Zuko’s fist crashed into his face just below the eye and he allowed himself to grunt, though more so in annoyance than pain.

Zuko retreated immediately after the hit without a follow up and Sasuke had a pretty good idea as to why. His face still pointed in the direction that Zuko’s punch had forced it, but he slowly popped his neck and looked calmly back forward.

The expression on Zuko’s face was still one of intense anger, but the look in his eyes was nothing short of frightened, as though he had just considered what Sasuke might do after being hit. Just ahead of him, Toph had clenched a fist and appeared ready to hit him as well, but Zuko clearly had beaten her to the punch and her expression was just as startled as the rest of the group. Katara and Mai both had their hands over their mouths, with Ty Lee, Suki and Sokka all having adopted a somewhat combat readied stance, their expressions also shocked. Aang was looking between everyone fearfully as though trying to find the best way to prevent a fight from breaking out and Azula… there was that damn expression again.

It was the look he had seen before when he had fought the natives, it was the same look that he had seen on her face when she was being whipped at the pillory, it was the same look he had seen when they had fought in the Agni Kai. Something about violence, the mere prospect of violence, was enough to put a look on her face that was nothing short of exhilarated. He realized that she wanted him to fight her brother, she wanted to see blows exchanged and blood spilled.

And Sasuke had let her kiss him.

Pushing this aside, he spoke in a very deliberate tone as to try and not further exacerbate what were clearly a string of intense emotions shared amongst his companions.

“Before anyone gets hurt, let me say this: there was nothing to it like I’m sure you’re thinking. I snuck away when we made second camp and found the springs and quietly dipped in. Mai came along a few minutes later and entered too, but I was behind some shrubs and she had no idea I was there.”

Zuko gave an audible swallow and said, “But you were still in there. Together.”

“Yeah, I guess we were.” Sasuke said.

“Naked,” Azula made to confirm, earning her a vicious glare from Mai. Sasuke rubbed his temples and grumbled a reply.

“Yes.”

Though none of this seemed to remotely resolve anything with Zuko, he said nothing more and slowly retreated, making no further attempt to strike again. Sasuke turned his eyes down to Toph then and watched as she clearly struggled on whether or not to follow up on Zuko’s lead. Finally, she made a noise of frustration and dropped her hand to her side and walked back to rejoin the group. Mai made to walk over to Zuko, but he sidestepped, putting an uncomfortable looking Ty Lee between the both of them.

In that moment, Sasuke remembered just how far the gap between him and these people spread. Every single one of them had been labored with reasons not to trust him, reasons to stay on their toes. But as he thought about it, he remembered how warranted those reasons had been; he had displayed abilities hitherto unknown by anyone living in this world, he had shown a strong amount of indifference towards the majority of them and had very nearly killed Azula in one on one combat, and he had slaughtered dozens of people without blinking. Now, here he stood in front of them again, once again being judged silently, though this time… this time it was because he had taken a bath with Mai.

He repeated the thought to himself: all he had done this time was take a bath with Mai.

And as he looked at the expressions gazing towards him ranging from stunned, to angry, to worried, he realized just how completely absurd this notion was. Fire Lord Ozai was just kilometers away aboard his vessel, Sasuke was about to end this war singlehandedly for them and here they were, ready to string him and up for…

He paused again and closed his eyes.

For taking a bath with Mai.

Suddenly, it was rather too much for him to handle. A chuckle rippled from his throat and he bent forward, putting his hands on his knees as the sheer ridiculousness of the situation resonated with him. He expected that to be all he would need, but for whatever reason, the laughter kept coming, bubbling up from his stomach like a volcano in its prime. The chuckles were no more then as Sasuke straightened and threw his head back; he was laughing now, veritably cackling at how everything he had gone through with these people had come down to this, to this single, silly, inconsequential _scandal_ of all things. Turning away, he continued to chortle loudly into the coming night, allowing every eye roll, every grunt of annoyance, every flat stare, every piece of every frustrating thing these people had forced on him to spill out in a rush of laughable pleasure.

After perhaps a couple dozen seconds, the languidity of such humor finally caught up with him and he trailed off, wiping his cheeks of the tears that had sprung to them in his moment of comicality that had hit him so suddenly. Turning back to look at his companions, their expressions might have sent him into a fresh fit of hysterics had he not well worn out any desire to keep laughing; unblinking, wide-eyed looks of shock and fear were now all he saw, save for Sokka, who was looking like he was almost trying to hide a smile of his own, and Toph, whose face had taken such a serious tone, she might have been carved from stone.

This relieving moment now behind him, Sasuke let the smile that had come into play slide from his face as he finally spoke again, paying no mind to the previous conversation regarding his and Mai’s visit to the hotsprings; time for worrying over such petty matters was long gone.

“Let’s get this straight: when I go down there, it’s not going to be fun and games. There’s not going to be time for whimsy comments or any hesitation whatsoever. The amount of manpower and firepower that is going to be directed my way when I get down there is going to be extremely substantial.”

Katara was the first to shake free of her shocked state at his laughing fit as she pointedly interjected, “When _we_ get down there.”

Sasuke flicked his gaze to meets hers, gazing darkly at her fiercely imposing gaze. “I was getting to that. When I get down there, I’m going straight for Ozai and I will be cutting down anyone who stands between him and I. I can’t spend time worrying about the rest of you, and I’m not going to be responsible for anyone who follows me down and gets obliterated.”

He crossed his arms and looked at each of them as genuinely as he could. It was important for them to know that, in his mind, Katara’s utter obsession with forcing their participation wasn’t something he was going to condone. If they wanted out of this conflict, that was all the better for him; it would ensure that they would be out of his way when the fighting began, and… he supposed he had grown at least grudgingly fond of the group. But whatever feelings of camaraderie or affection he might have felt bubbling beneath the surface, they were drowned entirely by his notion to push forward.

“I’m not asking any of you to follow me down there. If you’ll let me, I’ll end this war for you myself.”

He waited a moment, but it wasn’t Katara who spoke up as he would have expected her to, but Aang. The Avatar took a step forward, looking still distantly worried that Sasuke might launch into another fit and kill them all then and there, but there was steel in his eyes.

“Sasuke… we’ve been working towards this day for a long time. We’ve seen a lot and we’ve been through a lot.”

He looked around at the people surrounding him, making no small effort to make sure that the Fire Nation members of the group were included.

“All of us. This war has damaged the lives of everyone across the Four Nations whether they know it or not. We owe it to them, and ourselves to be there and play our part when Ozai falls.”

Sasuke stared at him for a long moment, feeling a very significant urge then to say something. “Aang, you’re a kid. This war isn’t on you.”

Predicatably, Katara stepped forward, opening her mouth, but he blazed on over what would have surely been a heated interruption. “I don’t care what you were born as, or what people tell you that you have to be.”

He sighed through his nose and pinched the bridge of it; this emotional jargon didn’t come well to him, but he supposed if it could save the kid’s life, he owed it to Aang to at least try.

“You once told me that you’re going to fight the Fire Lord because it’s expected of you. To hell with that. You’ve done nothing to warrant having to risk your life to fight someone like him. And I’m more than capable of doing it myself. This isn’t on you.”

Aang’s face flashed with a very deep pain then and he winced, closing his eyes and looking down in something that might have been shame.

“It _is_ on me, Sasuke…”

This was curious to him then and Sasuke cocked his head in interest as to what Aang meant, but Katara seemed to have had it with this line of talk.

“Enough!” she shouted. “It’s just as much our duty to face down Ozai and his troops as you feel it is yours. We will be heading down this cliff with you when the time comes and we will play our part, and that’s the end of it!”

This was fire from her that Sasuke hadn’t seen since the night previous when she had done everything in her power to kill him. And as he stared at her as calmly as he could and watched her intense expression, her chest heaving angrily and the vibrant colors of her eyes in the twilight, he couldn’t help but wonder something. He had done his best to avoid this sort of thing, but there was something that was pushing him, that was telling him that if he didn’t get an answer to this, he might regret it later. And if his hunch was right, it would explain a lot of things.

“Alright,” he said, backing down. “Bed out, if you’d like, I’ll be heading out in three or four hours depending what we get out of that cloud front that’s moving in.”

With that, he turned away and knelt beside his equipment, pretending to inspect his kunai while flicking glances at the group as he did and watched as they slowly broke up to heed this information.

Suki and Sokka lay down almost immediately, followed by Ty Lee and Zuko. The latter had utterly ignored Mai trying to approach him and had lain down with his back facing her. Sasuke felt a pang of pity for her that he hadn’t made more of an effort to absolve them both of having committed any crime, but it truly was a stupid thing to get so worked up about. If Zuko really thought that much of Mai, he would have known that the potential of her cheating on him was nil. This being said, he had a difficult time reading the expression Mai gave him before she moved away to sit by the cliffside and look out over the ocean, clearly content to avoid resting for the moment. He would have expected her expression to be angry and resentful, but all it had showed was hurt and something like… confusion? No, that couldn’t have been it.

Aang, Toph, and Azula seemed content to mill about and go through their own things before lying down and, as he looked, Sasuke saw Katara walk towards a rock formation near where Appa and Momo were resting. As she disappeared behind it, Sasuke grimly to himself.

_Now or never._

Aang was still looking deeply pained as he moved around the camp, and Azula and Toph both had deep grudging looks on their face, but none of the three seemed to be paying him much mind, perhaps intentionally. Making a few quick hand signs and casting a jutsu that would make him less noticeable, Sasuke quickly stood and moved towards the rock formation, noting that no one seemed to be giving him a second thought.

He rather had hoped someone would, despite his efforts; being deterred from this might have been in his best interests.

* * *

Katara looked up at the starry sky, and let the gentle breeze do its best to calm her. The coolness of it almost brought a shiver to her body which had become so acclimated to the warmer temperatures of the Earth and Fire Nation territories, her attire that left her legs, arms and midsection exposed to the breeze not aiding in keeping her warmer. She closed her eyes and took deep calming breaths, letting her fists unclench at her side.

How was he so good at getting her worked up? She had spent so much time last night doing her very best to push all negative thoughts towards him aside in a genuine effort to work through this for the sake of Aang and everyone else, but every time she thought of who she was doing it for, thoughts of Sasuke would simply return, undesired.

It was infuriating, nothing short of it, everything about his persona. The way he talked, the way he composed himself, the way he acted as though nothing in the world could hurt him, the way he thought he knew best about everything, the way he…

Katara had to stop as she realized that just as many of these grievances were strikingly similar to her own character.

She nearly laughed out loud at that one: her, similar to Sasuke? Hardly. This was nothing more than him being able to get under her skin just based on the coincidence that he just so happened to have those few traits that did nothing more than drive her crazy. And besides, it didn’t matter. Soon enough, this would all be over and they would be free to go their separate ways, she didn’t have to worry about him anymore, and she wouldn’t have to think about him anymore. He would be just a memory, one that she could do everything in her power to—

“I can tell you’ve still got an axe to grind with me.”

Katara sucked in a breath of air and turned to face him. She hadn’t counted on him seeking her out; considering how she had chosen to treat him, Sasuke staying away from her had been her most certain expectation. But here he was, just behind her now, arms crossed and that perpetual stoic expression on his face.

She nearly sneered back at him, “Well, since you seem to find us so amusing, I thought it only appropriate that I remind you just how much this means to all of us. And that it isn’t, and has never, been your decision to make.”

Sasuke glanced around as if to make sure that no one else was nearby to listen in on this.

“I wasn’t talking about that.”

He took a step forward and Katara felt a frown pull at the corners of her mouth even as she resisted taking a step back to counter his movement. “Oh? Enlighten me?”

Sasuke seemed to ponder his words for a while, tilting his head back and looking thoughtful before saying, “You know, Mai and Ty Lee have approached me a couple times since this whole business began with us traveling together. They wanted to warn me about Azula and how her actions were so indicative of someone very… shall we say ‘interested’ in me.”

Unsure of what to make of an equally caustic feeling spilling into her gut, Katara crossed her arms and looked away. “So? Anyone can tell that she has eyes for you, and yet all you seem to do is ignore her.”

Her response generated a curious look in Sasuke’s eyes and Katara tried to act like she didn’t notice.

“Does that bother you?” he asked.

Katara sniffed. “I couldn’t care less. The two of you sociopaths belong together. Just as long as you stay away from Toph.”

And there it was. One of her biggest fears, perhaps not the biggest, but substantial nonetheless. Wincing as she heard the words echo, she looked back to see Sasuke nodding understandingly.

“Ah. That’s what this is about. You’re scared of me hurting her feelings, is that it?”

The way he said this in such a casual and uncaring way was enough to fire Katara up yet again, “You are so damn blind!! Maybe you think she’s all mature because of how she talks and acts and conducts herself, but she’s still a kid!! She has feelings for you and they’re tearing her apart, but you don’t care, not about that!! Why would you?!”

She could have kept on at it, but she was able to restrain herself, pulling herself back from blowing into a full blown rant. Sasuke’s expression remained flat and unchanged as he regarded her with those pitiless black eyes.

“Are you such a spitting image of a caring other, Katara?”

His words bit into her heart with icy fangs and she glared at him. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Giving a pretend shrug as though he was only guessing, Sasuke said, “It’s pretty clear that Aang has feelings for you. I’d hazard that you do for him as well. But everything you’ve done in recent days has been on your own, without even asking what he thinks. You ignore him, you sideline him and act like this is all for his own good.”

“This _is_ for his own good!” Katara shouted, but even as she said it, the words felt halfhearted. Sasuke paid her interjection no mind.

“You might think I’m blind to just how interested Azula and Toph are, and maybe you’re right. I don’t have time to spend worrying about things like that, not when I’m so damn close to what I’m here for. But there’s more going on with you than I think I gave you credit for, and it’s not just being abusive to Aang that’s the issue.”

The mere insinuation, the mere idea that he would suggest something like that nearly brought tears of pure ire to Katara’s eyes as she whispered, “How… _dare_ you…”

He still ignored her. “I’ve got a feeling that, while maybe you do have feelings for him too, you’ve never once in your life been able to have an attraction for someone that you couldn’t directly equate against your own abilities. Dominance, leadership, authority, all that nonsense that you hold so dear. So when someone like me shows up… and you don’t know how to handle it, this is the result.”

Suddenly, he was walking towards her and Katara found herself paralyzed, only able to watch as he drew nearer until he was nearly nose to nose.

“But call it a hunch. And I’d sure like to know if I’m right.”

Before she could say anything, if her now breathless lungs would even have allowed it, Katara watched as he took her under the chin and pressed his lips against hers. For a thunderously long second, the world seemed to shudder to a halt as Katara felt him against her before she was able to regain control of her faculties. She screamed against his lips and pushed him away with a shove.

“Get off of me!!”

Sasuke stumbled back, and when he came to a halt he had a deeply pondering look on his face as though he wasn’t sure what to make of what had just happened. Katara’s heart was slamming against her chest as though desperate to break free; her fists her clenched as she prepared for him to make another try, fully ready to pull the very moisture from the air and whip up a tempest to throw him into the ocean below. But he made no other movement, merely looked down towards his feet.

“Sorry,” was all he said as he turned to leave.

Katara was on top of him in an instant, tackling him to the ground. She imagined that had he been expecting it, this would not have gone that way but now on the grass-covered ground, she found herself on top of him, her hands pinning his wrists to the ground beside his head. He looked up at her in faint surprise before she closed her eyes and kissed him back.

It was a feeling impossible to describe; it was as though she had just been released from some arduous burden that had been pressing her down ever since Sasuke had come into her life, but it also generated the most terrible, awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. As she ground her body against his, breathing heavily and absorbing the taste of his lips, she realized she was crying. This crying turned into sobs and in breaks between kissing him, she murmured a desperate reality against the action she was taking.

“I hate you… I hate you… I hate you…”

Because she did. She hated Sasuke more than anything. And even as this wore on, she knew that would never change because it was entirely possible that she hated herself just as much.

* * *

Sasuke stood a half dozen meters away from Katara, who was on the ground, eyes closed and kissing a person who wasn’t there. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed and muttered towards the ground. He let it continue a while longer to see if there was to be any significant change in her actions, but as she continued to kiss at nothing, he cancelled his genjtusu and allowed Katara’s consciousness to drift away with another quick jutsu. She rolled onto her side, now fast asleep, the moonlight above reflecting the shining tracks that her tears had left on her face. Sasuke stared down at her for a moment longer before reaching down to pick up the sleeping bag that he had carried over and gently easing her unconscious form into it. When she woke, this would be nothing more to her than a dream, if she even remembered it at all.

When Katara had been taken care of, Sasuke stood and straightened, before blowing out a frustrated sigh.

This had certainly been quite revealing, but as to what, he had no idea.

Had it been real, might she have continued to press against him sensually until she finally got ahold of herself and tried to jam another ice dagger into his heart? In her head, had it all been a self-defense response that she would hide behind before attacking? Why would she have been so passionate about kissing him if she truly hated him so much?

Sasuke pressed a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes in a moment of silent frustration.

_I don’t understand these people._

Whatever the reason for what he had just seen, it told him that keeping his distance from Katara was certainly his best bet. Her thoughts and feelings were far too complicated for him to try and decipher, though if he only had a better idea as to what—

He paused as he had a sudden thought. If anyone had a decent handle on emotions and whom Sasuke could probably trust this information to, it was Mai. Thinking for a moment, he decided that it was certainly worth a shot to try and see if she could shed any light on his bizarre occurrence and he turned to walk around the other side of the rock formation where the rest of the group was camped out.

He made it around only half of the obelisk of stone before nearly running smack into Azula at the brisk pace he was striding at. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her arms crossed and her mouth a displeased, flat line. Sasuke was distantly reminded of how a mother might regard a child who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Sasuke didn’t know he wanted to think about what Azula might do to a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” she demanded and Sasuke replied without thinking.

“I was going to talk with Mai.”

Azula’s expression darkened significantly at that, her eyes coming alive with a furious, almost manic light. “Why?! So you can finish what you two started in the hotsprings?! Going behind my back again?!”

_God damn it, no._

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “If any of you had been willing to listen, you would have known that nothing happened between us and—”

He realized that Azula wasn’t listening to him in the slightest. She had begun to slowly pace back and forth, her eyes glossing over with a seething fire as she growled both to herself and him.

“Of course, she was just waiting for a chance like this, anything to stand in my way. She forced herself onto you, didn’t she? Yes, that must have been it, she knew you were both naked and it would be so much easier to try and sway you in such an instance… what she won’t do to try and betray me, I should have known. Did you both do more than kiss? Or were you able to keep her from doing more? That slut, I should have never—”

Sasuke had heard well enough and he reacted to in what might have been the only way Azula might have reciprocated; he grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her against the rock formation, not enough to be done as an attempt to hurt her, but enough so for her to cut off and look at him.

“I don’t know why you need to hear this so bad,” he said quietly, trying to keep his frustration from turning his voice into a hiss. “But nothing happened between Mai and I. We spoke, briefly. But our being in that place together at that time was nothing but a coincidence and you burning brain cells trying to rationalize it is a waste of time.”

But even as he spoke, Azula’s expression had altered vastly. She now was gazing at him with an almost hungry look, with eyes that burned at him with something that might have been desire. Sasuke wasn’t sure then that he had listened to a single word he had said as she slowly reached up and brushed her fingers against his cheek. He was unable to keep a chill from running up his spine as her nails gently scraped at his skin.

“I know you’d never look at her like that, Sasuke, I wasn’t blaming you,” she said quietly.

_What?_

Sasuke nearly shouted this question in disbelief; Azula was very much only seeming to hear what she wanted to, and ignoring the pieces that she didn’t care to listen to. As he held her there, she reached out with a leg very slowly and wrapped it around his midsection, pulling him to her, that fire in her eyes deepening.

“What were you doing talking to Katara?” she asked, her voice once again sounding mockingly like she was trying to coerce a child into admitting a bad deed. Sasuke tried to remain focused as her hand slid down from his face to slowly stroke down his chest.

“I was just trying to smooth over any more… animosity she still was bearing towards me. Anything like that could be pretty detrimental going forward.”

Lying about this was the easiest thing in the world to do. If Azula knew really why he had went to see Katara in private, having the princess run her hands over him was the least of his problems.

And Azula’s response to this was anything but reassuring to that end.

“Sasuke, all you need to do is ask and I’ll make sure she never bothers you again, she’ll never so much as cross your mind.”

He looked down as she slowly moved her head forward and pressed her lips against his chest, her hair brushing against his chin. When she pulled away, there was a smile that was now crossing her face.

“You know I’d do it for you, if you’d only ask. I’ll kill any one of them if it’s—

_Enough._

“Enough!” Sasuke snarled; this was going too far. Mai had been right, attraction nothing, this _obsession_ was showing all the signs of quickly becoming a serious issue if it wasn’t already. To shut her up, Sasuke reached out with the hand that hadn’t been pushing her against the stone and seized her by the throat. With a strangled noise, Azula stopped talking and Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief for that grace.

But as he looked at Azula’s face, that relief backed off in a hurry.

As he gripped her around the throat, she smiled even more strongly at him and he watched her run her tongue against the front of her teeth. She didn’t say anything more, but she didn’t have to.

Releasing her as if he had just been electrocuted, Sasuke stepped back and turned away without so much as a glance back at her, marching back to the camp. As he came around the side of the rock face, he saw that everyone save for Mai had lain down and seemed to be trying to rest, save for Ty Lee and Toph who, while laid out, were exchanging words quietly. Sasuke looked back quickly and saw that Azula hadn’t followed him which was the most distantly assuring thought; as he turned back, he saw Mai turning where she stood to look at him. They exchanged a silent look and Sasuke had to fight down his desire to go talk to her as he strode briskly over to where Toph and Ty Lee were stretched out.

They both stopped talking as he approached, but he made no effort to address them. Rather, he lowered himself to the ground only a foot from Toph and lay down, closing his eyes the moment his head touched down.

Considering that he was about to attack Ozai’s fleet in only a few hours time, he felt he hardly had time to be worrying about these damn women. Nonetheless, it took him what felt like those few hours to so much as doze off as images of Katara and Azula forcing themselves on him kept wisping into his mind. Their actions had been so different, yet so similar, just as their feelings seemed to be so different, yet so similar. He felt Azula’s lips pressing against his skin, just as he felt Katara pin him to the ground, her hands holding him down.

Eventually, Sasuke did feel a hand on him, though one that was much calmer and much less hostile. He opened his eyes to see Aang shaking him gently, with a deeply anxious expression on his face.

“Sasuke,” the kid whispered. “It’s time.”


	17. Chapter 17

** Chapter 17: Attack on the _Azulon_ **

The deck of the _Azulon_ had exploded to life in a vibrant rush of violence. Soldiers who had assumed that the centermost ship of the fleet would be the least likely to be attacked due to its positioning as well as being utterly certain that the fleet wouldn’t be attacked period, were scrambling to try and assume readied stances and formations while plumes of fire, water, air, and electricity pummeled them. Those that tried to flee for the bowels of the ship were slammed aside with pieces of the ship itself, pure metal being rent from the walls to create devastatingly hard fists that struck an errant soldier unlucky enough to be caught in the attention of their owner.

Said owner was Toph, who was down on one knee, her hands pressed against the metal deck of the ship, her power rushing out across the vessel’s bow and turning it against its occupants. Behind her, Aang and Katara were flinging colossal waves that ran over the ship’s edge and crashed against the soldiers, those able to survive being swept away lifted into the night sky by sheets of air. As they hurled helplessly through the void, fire of blue and orange coloration slammed into them, dealing the final blow as Zuko and Azula, so normally opposed to one another’s mere presence, stood side by side in their battle against the hordes of Fire Nation soldiers. Whilst the benders worked their trade in dealing a majority of the heavy lifting, one only needed to look a little closer to see the other half of this tight operation playing their part.

Ty Lee, Mai, Suki and Sokka darted amongst the chaos, making their moves against the soldiers who seemed to have enough wherewithal to make an attempt at any of their bending allies. Knives flashed, swords swung, blows were dealt as the four of them painted a trail of bloody carnage to the centermost area of the deck where a great pair of doors were shut against the intruders.

These doors were made of a powerfully reinforced metal was run on a great contraption that used the door’s weight as the counterbalance to keep it shut. With the mere push of a button, the vessel’s operating captain, standing high above the battle in the ship’s command tower, the door would open, but without his aid in doing so, even that metal bending girl would find it a chore to open any too quickly.

Behind the captain, one of his subordinates shouted, “Sir! We’re being hailed by the surrounding ships on all sides! They’re asking how they can provide assistance!”

The captain said nothing for a moment as he watched the swarm of conflict several hundred feet beneath them. It truly was smart, attacking the lead vessel of the fleet; with the Fire Lord himself aboard, other ship’s wouldn’t dare fire on the _Azulon_ with the risk that it entailed. All they could do was force a perimeter into place, and wait to be hailed.

”I don’t believe we have a choice other than to order our allies to fire on the deck, but _only_ towards the deck. Any other damage we sustain anywhere else could endanger the Fire Lord but it is clear to me that we are hopelessly outmatched being this caught off guard. On my mark, order the bombardment of—”

The shadows at his feet seemed to swirl for a moment before a figure suddenly seemed to materialize just before him. He couldn’t even think of anything to say before this intruder punched his sword completely through the captain’s head and sliced upward, making the orders that he had been about to utter a mystery.

“New orders,” the figure muttered. Black fire swirled around him as the soldiers that had been in the tower with the captain prepared to attack.

“You’ve all been relieved of duty.”

* * *

Katara just had time to look up and see the tower directly above them erupt in a torrent of black fire that spilled outward with a furious rush of power. Around her, her allies ceased their regrouping to observe the same, with all of the soldiers who had rushed to fight them being unconscious, dead or flung from the ship. The spewing onyx heat curled around the tower for a moment before being snuffed out as though it had been sucked into a vacuum. A moment later, there was a thundering creak as the great door that led deeper into the ship yawned open slowly before them. And just after that, there was a barely audible sound as Sasuke landed in front of them as nimbly as a cat.

Though the mission was first on her list of priorities, Katara couldn’t help but fight down a feeling of unease when she saw Sasuke, one that wasn’t common to her. Her utter dislike for him was certainly to be expected, but there was a real discomfort that she felt when being near him now, almost as though she wanted to step away and distance herself from him, like a distant fear that she couldn’t identify. She believed that she had dreamt a terrible dream during the time between when they had landed on the cliff to when they had commenced their attack, and she was very sure that Sasuke had been in it.

Now, though, such thought was wasted time and dangerous to boot; she had to stay focused.

“It won’t be long before the other ships start sending advance parties and battalions over,” Zuko was saying. “Enough of them and we’ll be tired out and overwhelmed.”

“Then we should stop wasting time with words, Zuzu,” Azula snapped. She turned to Sasuke.

“What’s the move now?”

Hearing Azula look for orders from anyone would have made Katara’s head spin in a less intensive time, but she could only find herself anxiously waiting to hear what he would reply with.

Sasuke had a look of pure concentration on his face, so much so that she wondered if he had even heard Azula’s question. His black hair waved gently in the breeze and his dark eyes were pits of pure focus. His hands hung loosely at his side, but were clearly ready to bunch into fists or grab the hilt of his sword at a moment’s notice; perhaps the lot of them had taken time to get into the way of the world, but Sasuke seemed long since ready for war.

“We have to control the deck as long as possible,” he finally said. “We’re going to go in two groups; a portion of you will stay above deck and keep the ship from being boarded. The rest of you will come with me as I go get Ozai.”

Wiping a smear of blood from her face and trying to catch her breath, Suki propped her sword over her shoulder. “Who’s with who?”

Sasuke replied without missing a beat, “Aang, Azula, Sokka and Mai, with me.”

At his words, there was a clear ripple of varied reactions to this order. Aang and Sokka both looked more than okay with being asked along, and Azula looked downright ecstatic. Mai’s face tightened and she nodded, and Katara noticed her look at Zuko with a pleading look, but the Fire Nation prince was looking resolutely towards Sasuke. He and the rest seemed fine with the arrangement as well, though Toph looked hardly pleased when Azula’s name was mentioned, though she said nothing when hers was absent from Sasuke’s list.

Katara suddenly realized that she was slightly resentful hers hadn’t been mentioned as well.

Looking around at each of the people that he had been content to leave on the deck, Sasuke said, “I can’t guarantee the other ships won’t turn their guns on us after any amount of time, so be ready to move inside the ship if things get too dicey, or if you get overwhelmed by these inevitable reinforcements.”

As his eyes reached Katara, she made sure she was looking away; she would follow these orders only grudgingly, and it was taking a great deal of effort to not openly challenge him in regards to the splitting of the team. But she knew that such argument would be a waste of time and they needed all that they could get right about then.

That and she could barely even manage to think of what she might say to him then and there, not with the nerves that were going crazy in her midsection right about then.

When no one raised any questions or concerns, Sasuke turned to his four selected and jerked his chin.

“Alright, in we go.”

* * *

Toph felt the five of them pound their way into the ship through the metal floor that surrounded her and tried not to feel as deeply resentful as she did. Her entire being wanted nothing more than to follow Sasuke wherever he was aiming to go, but if it was his wish for her to stay above deck, she would comply. She knew her ability and what she lent to being above deck and as Katara seemed to almost relish the chance to take back control, she was reaffirmed why.

“Toph, can I trust you to handle any approaching small craft?” she asked. It struck Toph how relieved Katara sounded to be back giving orders, and she supposed that Sasuke taking the lead had done nothing but batter Katara’s idea of being the natural leader to the group. The thought gave Toph a distant rush of satisfaction; about time that Katara realized she wasn’t the most important person there.

“I can handle them as long as there’s enough of this ship to tear apart,” she replied, not voicing her opinions on Katara’s obsession with leadership. “I can keep taking pieces of the tower, but when that’s gone and we’re stuck with just the ship itself, I really don’t know what I can and cannot take before we potentially start to take on water. And I’ll need someone to guide my aim; I’m good with distances but unless they’re touching the ship, I’ll have no idea where to hit.”

“We should be able to keep enough time where that won’t be necessary to take that much and we should be able to keep you on target,” Katara said. “Ty Lee, Suki, can I have the two of you run rounds on deck and see where any potential visitors might be approaching from?”

They both voiced their confirmation and Katara finally addressed their last member, “Zuko, I want you here with me. I’m going to take turns with Toph the best I can in keeping us from being boarded, but you’re going to need to be our last line if something gets past.”

Zuko didn’t say anything but Toph was relatively sure he had nodded in confirmation of this order as Katara then said, “Alright, let’s do this.”

Ty Lee and Suki immediately took off and Zuko moved towards the front of the ship to try and get a head start on the waves of soldiers that were no doubt about to start piling their way and Katara made to follow him.

As the group began to split up, a raging thought forced its way into Toph’s mind, a thought that had been eating at her since just before she had fallen into a fitful period of rest hours before. It was stupid, it was so completely not the time for it, but Toph couldn’t help from asking, “Katara, what happened with you and Sasuke last night?”

Katara might have become one with the ship then with how quickly she stopped moving and stood still. For a long second, the only sounds were of the crackling of the still raging fires and the creak of the ship as it rocked ever so slightly in the ocean surf. Toph had felt him move over to her earlier that night, but had been unable to hear what was said, but based on some of the movements she had felt, she had cause to believe that more than words had been exchanged. The thought made Toph so irrationally and completely irate that it was all she could do then to keep from clenching her hands into shaking fists.

_Isn’t contending with Azula enough?_

Then, Katara said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about or why you would even think it your business if that had happened, Toph. Sasuke never came to talk with me last night, I walked off on my own to cool down and went to sleep just after. There’s nothing more to it than that.”

She started after Zuko again as she added over her shoulder.

“You really ought to tone down just how much you’re obsessing over him. You’re starting to sound like Azula.”

And she was off then, leaving Toph standing on alone in the center of the deck, fists clenched and shaking at her side as angry tears swam into her eyes. She didn’t know what made her more angry, the fact that Katara was comparing her to the psycho, or the fact that she was pretty sure Katara had been lying.

* * *

Azula watched, almost perfectly mesmerized as she jogged along behind Sasuke as he led the way deeper into the _Azulon’s_ depths. Nothing so much as slowed him down; any soldier in his path was cut down without a word, either by his sword, his kunai or the lightning that spat around his wrists whenever he called it into existence.

_Just another thing we have in common._

She couldn’t help but think back to what had taken place only hours ago as she followed close behind Sasuke’s direct route to her father’s chambers. The fervor at which he had pushed her away had been certainly something that might have been cause for her to feel resentment, but she knew why he had been hesitant at her advances. He had a lot on his mind and wasn’t willing to let something like a night with her distract him from the importance of what he was doing. It was beautifully focused of him, and it made her heart beat all the quicker as she thought on it.

But his hand on her throat… Azula couldn’t remember the last time she had felt that exhilarated, it was as though he had been about to force her to the ground in an effort to make her submit.

She honestly thought she might have let him.

“Down the hallway on the right takes us to the engines, but there’s also a drainage tunnel that runs to the ship’s aft end if we can’t leave the way we came.”

Mai’s voice returned Azula to reality and she looked as Sasuke gave her a brief, impressed look. “How do you know so much about these things?”

With a shrug, she replied, “My family comes from a noble house, and I always hated the glamor and bore of it. I studied all kinds of war when I was with my uncle, tactics, technology, you name it. All of it fascinated the hell out of me.”

Sasuke nodded. “Not something I would expect out of a girl like you.”

She flicked her eyes at him, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

It was his turn to shrug then. “I’m not sure. Though after you cut me open during our first meeting, I don’t know why I would expect you to just be some typical rich girl.”

There was something like a soft smile playing at Mai’s face. “You better watch it, or I can pick up where we left off back at the prison.”

Sasuke looked back ahead. “I don’t doubt it.”

Azula felt her blood pressure shooting through the roof at this exchange. Mai didn’t belong anywhere near him, she had no right even _talking_ to him. If they hadn’t been in such a tight situation, it would have been something Azula would have been more than happy to consider, to put a bolt right through Mai’s back then and there, to keep her from getting anywhere close to him. It drove her absolutely crazy to think that she had spent time alone with, and in such an intimate environment to boot, Azula wanted to believe that Sasuke wasn’t withholding anything from her, but of course he would do what he could to protect her and if that meant keeping juicy details out of her reach, then she knew he would do it, he was too good to her, he would never do anything that—

“Up ahead.”

The group rounded a corner then as Mai spoke and they suddenly found themselves face to face with about a dozen heavily armored guards. Azula backed out of her mental self-torture and growled as she drew up a swirl of fire. She recognized the armor of the men, it was protection befitting of her father’s personal guard, a sure sign they were on the right path. But this armor was extremely powerful and offered no gaps for a knife or sword to easily penetrate, and most importantly, it was extremely heat resistant. Azula would have to try with a great effort to so much as put a scorch mark on that tempered steel, and though she supposed that Aang might be able to work some airbending for their advantage, it would still be…

Before she could even complete the split second it took her to try and generate a plan of attack, Sasuke growled.

“Burn out.”

A wall of black flames rushed through the corridor in front of him, utterly reducing the now screaming men to cinders. Sasuke continued past them, not slowing in the slightest; starstruck by his display of dominance, Azula followed after him before Mai, Aang or Sokka, desperate to be the closest one to him.

He was so powerful too, it was intoxicating just being this close to him and watching him forge forward by his mere will alone. The fire he could summon was unlike anything Azula had experienced or read about in her people’s history, his ability to bend more than just fire made him an impossible phenomenon even beyond that, and his control… oh, his control. It sent waves of passion through her just to think about.

She remembered how quickly he had sprung into action when she had cried out at the festival. Azula wanted to ask him if her being tortured had spurred him forward during that time, if it had angered him to the point of taking the risk of exposing himself. She wanted to tell him that she would have taken so much worse for him, it would have been her pleasure to take whatever was dished out if it was something that would help Sasuke, she wanted him to know that so badly…

_When this is over… then I’ll tell him. And he’ll accept me then, because he’ll know what I’m willing to do for him. And if he says anything, anything at all about Toph, or Mai, or Katara, or whichever bitch is trying to steal him from me, I’ll kill them, I’ll cut their damn throats for even so much as thinking that he’d be willing to leave me and—_

“Look out!!”

Azula just had time to register the shout as she looked to her right in time to see a flaming spear thrust upwards at her head just before an arm on her sleeve pulled her out of the way of its burning path. Mai, who had been the one to call out the danger and also pull Azula aside, leapt forward and stabbed the soldier in the eye. He had time to scream before she struck the knife on the hilt, forcing it deeper in and ending his life. As his body collapsed to the floor, Sasuke looked back.

“What happened?”

Aang, who looked shaken by the encounter, replied, “Azula almost got gutted by a soldier hiding in a corner off to the side here.”

Azula looked up to see Sasuke look from her to Mai; to the latter, he said, “Good catch.” His eyes turned back to Azula.

“Let’s not get sloppy now.”

He started on then, followed by Mai, and then Aang and Sokka. Azula felt herself frozen in place for a long moment before she resumed her pace after them, trying to rationalize what had just happened. She didn’t want Mai to have saved her. She didn’t want to be saved by a person who was trying to take Sasuke away from her. And worst of all, he had seen it. He had not only seen Mai with a sizeable accomplishment in saving one of their lives, but he had seen Azula been caught off her guard and nearly being injured as a result.

Azula was _never_ caught with her guard down.

She began to fume silently as she trailed the rest of the group; that wasn’t fair. That hadn’t been fair, it had happened too quickly and too much had come of it as a result. That had surely been damaging to what Sasuke thought of her. He needed someone who was indomitable to all but him, and she had just gone and completely thrown a wrench in her own plan. Perhaps Mai had arranged for it to happen that way, she had perhaps known that an attack was coming and had purposefully let Azula step into it so she could make her move and get a leg up in getting closer to achieving Sasuke’s acceptance. Mai truly was cunning, the lengths she would go to take Sasuke for himself…

Shaking her head, she tried to calm herself. This was fine, it wasn’t something to get so worked up over. Besides, she would be able to show him her devotion and commitment again soon enough and Sasuke would forget all about this clumsy little slip up, and he would know that she was—

“Hello, my child.”

It was only when her father’s voice rippled out across the room that Azula realized she was even in a room. That she was no longer rushing behind Sasuke, that they were now all standing still with the massive pieces of the door that had led to her father’s chambers having been flung aside by Sasuke’s whim. It was only then that Azula remembered why they were here.

She had been in her father’s room aboard the _Azulon_ only once, and it had been years ago. The Fire Lord was not a man given to enjoying company, but aboard his flagship, he entertained the idea of guests even less. But he had taken her aboard as a birthday present, and shown her all around the ship’s interior, including his private residence, an area that was almost as large as a small arena. The room was just as magnificent and reflective of her father’s being as it had been when she had first stepped into it, with scarce furniture, but a spectacular map table that would put any charting table in the entirety of the four nations to shame, with only gentle torches lighting the room, but with huge stained glass windows that looked out over the ship’s bow. Azula only remembered then just what had last occurred between herself and her father, a memory that had been kicked to the side due to her overwhelming interest in Sasuke. But now, her recollections of that day returned as did the burning resentment and agony that had come from being thrown aside as she had.

Fire Lord Ozai spread his hands as he regarded the five of them. “I’d say make yourselves at home, but it would appear that you already have done a good bit of work on making that happen.”

He looked around, eyes settling first on Aang and Sokka. “Ah, let’s see: the Avatar and one of his loyal pets. I suppose this meeting was bound to happen sooner or later.”

Aang’s eyes were wild, angry and frightened but he made no response other than to ball his fists. Sokka, someone Azula had known in the past to be stupidly obnoxious particularly when his usefulness was brought into question, looked unbelievably calm at the insult.

Her father looked then to Mai and then her, and Azula felt herself barely able to contain a shiver as he did. “My daughter, and her loyal friend. Come to finish what you started back at the palace when you tried to take my life I suppose?”

Mai took a step forward and the expression on her face and the pause before she spoke indicated just how much talking back to Ozai was something that went against everything she knew.

“ _You_ were the one who tried to take a life first. Don’t you dare stand there and try and play the victim when you tried to kill your own daughter in your pursuit of power.”

The Fire Lord raised an eyebrow, looking curious. “But had she not been prepared to make the sacrifice that was necessary for the good of our nation? You act as though this was something I had done for my own indulgence, but not only was it the hardest choice I’ve ever had to make, but Azula also understood the crucialness of the act.”

His piercing eyes moved back to Azula. “Isn’t that right, my daughter?”

And under his gaze, Azula began to fall apart. Suddenly, she was a child again, being reprimanded by her father for any inadequacy she was careless enough to show. It was so much a rarer happenstance than her brother, but Azula would forever remember just how humiliated she had felt when her disappointed father had lain into her. And that same feeling was rushing at her now as she stared him down and tried to appear as though she wasn’t shaking, like she wasn’t terrified jus seeing him again; a part of her wanted to rush forward and fall at his feet, imploring forgiveness. She would kill the Avatar for him now, she would kill anyone he asked, just so long as he absolved her of her sin of treason. Her lower lip quivered as she tried to think of what to say, of how she could keep herself from collapsing then and there.

“Azula.”

Sasuke’s voice slashed through her doubt and parted its foggy bank with all the clarity of the morning sun. She turned her frightened gaze towards him then and saw him.

He stood straight and unbending, eyes driving towards Ozai with all the intensity that could be managed. His hands were loose at his side and his stance was prepared. Sasuke was in complete control.

“You’re alright,” he said, and Azula’s heart melted. How could she have stood there and been so weak? Her father was nothing to her anymore, because she now had found the exact thing that she had been so terrified she wouldn’t be able to find. Sasuke was here, he was with her, and he was all she needed.

A tear streaked down her face as a smile blossomed outward across it. She turned back to her father, feeling a violent elation tear its way through her veins.

“I’m yours no longer, father,” she cried out, her voice shaking with the freedom the words gave her. “You thought you were all that controlled me, but I’ve found purpose, real purpose beyond that what you instilled upon me. I’m not afraid of you.”

Fire Lord Ozai regarded her with eyes that burned with disappointment and sadness. “My daughter, I will always blame myself for the failure that you have become. Forgive me for not being able to do better with you and your brother.”

His utter dismissal of her was enough to shake Azula to her core, but before she could so much as muster a response, her father turned his head finally to examine Sasuke.

“And you. I knew I would see you again.”

Azula looked back to Sasuke to see a grim smile on his face, and knew then that this was about to come to a head. And she couldn’t have been happier to be by his side.

* * *

Sasuke, hoping that his words had been enough to get Azula under control, stared across the room at Ozai with as calm a look as he could manage. Had he allowed himself, he would have been smiling like a lunatic, so pleased he was to finally be privy to this moment. He had hopefully done the necessary part of appeasing Katara and taking Aang and some of the others with him, but now that the Fire Lord was just before him, the four people standing just behind him may just as well have not been there at all.

“We can skip a whole lot of unpleasantries, your highness, all I need are some answers from you.”

Wanting to give Ozai the chance to come forward with his transgressions and see just how he reacted to them was Sasuke’s first hope that he could manage but as Ozai smiled, he knew that this would not be so simple a thing to manage.

“I’ve told you before and I tell you again now, Sasuke: I have no answers for you. I know very little about you, and that has not changed since the last time you tried to assassinate me.”

Not willing to waste time as he heard distant booms that were no doubt a result of the battle being raged above deck, Sasuke snapped, “Don’t play dumb, Fire Lord. A memory returned to me, one that I experienced when I was in your temple. You spoke of having finished off a race of people and how only one was left to give you grief. Well, here he is now, and I’d like some answers.”

For a moment, Ozai simply looked stunned. Then, he threw his head back and laughed, a genuine hearty sound that echoed all across the room. Sasuke bit down on his tongue and tensed up, but said nothing in reply to this outburst. Eventually, Ozai’s laugher fell away and he looked back to Sasuke with a wide smile.

“Your assumptions have made you the dumb one, I’m afraid.”

The Fire Lord turned and pointed a finger at Aang. “He was the one to whom I was referring. His people posed as great a threat as any could to the way of peace in the world. And now, thanks to his cowardice, he is the only one who remains.”

A hideously deep gash opened up within Sasuke’s stomach, taking hold of his entire body and forcing him to come to a paralyzed standstill. There was something about this exchange that only he knew, not any of his company, nor Ozai, but it was something that was most certainly troubling, well beyond an admission of guilt.

Ahead of him, Ozai’s smile widened even further.

“There was never any thought to you, Sasuke. Once again, you are nothing more than a nuisance of unknown origin. I have nothing for you.”

The feeling was now a terrible numbness that had seized Sasuke’s form, a chilling and terrible feeling that crept into his very heart and poured its ambiguous disbelief deep into his core. He wanted to shout at Ozai, accuse him of lying, place him under the most awful of genjutsu and force a proper confession. But the truth was, from the moment they had entered the room, Sasuke had cast a jutsu, one that hung in the air silently and undetectable. It allowed him to detect when a person was lying or telling the truth, which was why he had been able to sense Azula’s distress and why now, even as he couldn’t bear to even imagine the thought, he knew Ozai was telling the truth.

Everything seemed suddenly very inconsequential to him. He had put his entire faith, all his stock into the fact that the Fire Lord would have information he needed to move forward with rediscovering himself. Now, he was aware of the cold truth that contradicted this belief.

Ozai truly had nothing for him, and again, Sasuke was lost.

Sasuke stood still, his charade of being in control now crashing down. He wanted rather badly then to just sit down and wait to be dragged away by guards. He could feel the eyes of Azula, Mai, Sokka and Aang watching him closely, waiting for direction and what was to come next. But just as the Fire Lord was empty handed to his plight, Sasuke had nothing to offer his companions. All he had left was his failure.

“You stupid boy, you really thought this was something I could solve for you?” Ozai asked. He must have been able to sense just how disheartened Sasuke had become and now went on the offensive with his verbal jesting. Azula stepped forward then, still seeing deeply emboldened by Sasuke’s brief but clearly meaningful assurance.

“Don’t lie to him!! Don’t you stand there and keep holding down the truth, you answer him honestly _now_!!”

Aang, seeming to have sensed that Sasuke’s mood had changed drastically, murmured nervously, “Azula… ?”

She bore no mind to the Avatar’s meek attempt to get her attention and continued roaring at her father.

“You don’t know what he’s been through, the choices he’s had to make!! You tell him what he wants to know, or I’ll make you myself!!”

Finally, Sasuke couldn’t bear it any longer.

“Azula.”

His voice was still calm and controlled, but he was just able to keep it at that as opposed to a defeated croak. She spun to face him, her face alive with a manic excitement; when she saw his expression, her smile disappeared but her eyes remained large and fixed on him.

“What’s wrong?”

When he didn’t reply, she walked over to him and put a hand on his cheek; gritting his teeth, Sasuke pushed her away but not before Ozai clearly had seen what had happened. The Fire Lord’s eyes widened and he broke out into a brand new vicious smile.

“Oh! And now we see just why my daughter has become so open rebellious!”

He narrowed his eyes and Sasuke could see some parental instinctiveness creeping into the Fire Lord’s openly displayed malice. “What lies have you filled her head with? What have you promised her to make you such an appealing alternative to my attempt to heal this world? If I kill you, will I be able to gain my daughter’s love back?”

Azula spun around and stepped in front of Sasuke, spreading her arms.

“Don’t you even think about touching him!!”

Judging by the look on Ozai’s face, he had been expecting this and her father made no reply, only continued to stand there smiling. Eventually, he looked past his daughter in an open show of ignoring her and addressed Sasuke again.

“And this is what you’ve come up with? A suicide charge that will kill you and all of your friends, the Avatar included? I wanted a swift end to this war, and you’ve all but giftwrapped it for me.”

Within the numbness that had taken hold of Sasuke’s heart, a small hole began to burn outwards, slowly but with a heat that was unmissable.

“Perhaps I should take you all captive first instead. If I can grill you for information, it will make my retaking of the city all the easier. Which of the lot of you would you recommend I torture first, Sasuke? Who will give up the quickest when I take the iron, or the whip to first?”

That heat worked its way from his gut through his core, ascending to his shoulders and reaching down towards his legs.

“My daughter certainly seems taken with you. I would hate to have to harm her, particularly after how I learned how she had been treated at the festival. But if I can get through to you through her, perhaps that’s the way to go.”

Azula seemed to tense up further in front of him, but this was something that Sasuke only noticed in his periphery; in his focus was just that heat that was starting to steam through his very core now, extending to his toes and fingers and charging his heart with a furiously intense burn.

“Or perhaps the youngest of your lot, I was informed by my new friend that she was a part of your landing party and is aboard now…”

Distantly, Sasuke recognized this odd choice of words.

_New friend?_

“… but someone like her… I’ve heard varying reports from my field operatives and my daughter to boot. A talented bender from a rich family who’s never truly experienced any real hardship would probably tap out in a panic the moment the iron touched her skin—”

Taking Azula by the shoulder and forcing her aside, Sasuke exploded forward, the heat that had begun to burn within now a full blown furnace of rage. Perhaps Ozai couldn’t provide him with the answers he so desperately sought, but it would bring him no small amount of pleasure to crash his Chidori into the Fire Lord’s face and wipe that smile from his sneering face. He had heard enough of this bravado-ridden grandstanding, this talk of free victory, this threatening of Azula and Toph; Sasuke was going to render the Fire Nation leaderless with a single blow. Ozai had proven himself strong previously as a firebender, but Sasuke had only faltered in their first encounter due to a myriad of factors. Now, he may as well have been rushing at just a man, just a hateful, despicable man who stood no chance against him.

But as he looked at the Fire Lord who stood before him, entirely unconcerned, entirely undefended, and entirely confident, Sasuke couldn’t help but look past his hate for a moment, long enough to realize how strange Ozai’s behavior was, especially when he knew just how dangerous Sasuke was. It was almost as though he were welcoming Sasuke’s attack. Like everything he had said had been to spur him into action.

Like he was using himself as bait.

The hair’s on the back of Sasuke’s neck stood up a moment too late as a deafening blast roared behind above and behind him, culminating in what must have been a massive fireball that slammed into his back and sent him skidding the length of the chambers to crash into the opposite wall.

He picked himself from the ground with a grimace; no one in this world had been able to catch him off guard like that, no one could hope to be fast enough. But as a figure dropped from where it had been hiding within the darkness of the ceiling, Sasuke could tell this was no ordinary bender.

The figure was a younger man, with short and spiky black hair, and scars marring the right side of his face. He wore unremarkable robes of a deep purple, but the mere presence that he exuded was enough to let Sasuke know that this was not a person to be underestimated, certainly not after the strike he had been dealt just a moment before.

“I think that will be enough from you,” the man said. Behind him, as though they had been practicing it forever, Azula and Mai sprinted into action, moving towards the man’s left and right, shooting a jet of blue fire and hurling a slew of thin knives respectively. The man before Sasuke made a few hand signs in the blink of an eye and raised a hand, palm facing behind him. Azula’s fire altered course in midair and twisted to catch Mai’s knives, disintegrating them into puffs of smoke before the fire withered out entirely. The pair of them slowed for a moment in shock at how easily their threat had been neutralized but only for a moment before they resumed their rush towards him, Aang and Sokka now close behind.

They made it only a few more paces before a great wall of flame rose between them and forced them backwards. Sasuke turned to see Ozai weaving the fire with his open hands, aggressively moving towards his companions. Only able to watch as the four of them had to reconsider their target, Sasuke straightened and regarded the man before him, trusting in his companions to hold the Fire Lord at bay while he dealt with this sudden intrusion.

The man eyed Sasuke with an intense curiousness.

“So, you’ve decided to use your excessive might to take advantage of the weaker people of this world. Siding with terrorists and assassins? I don’t know exactly who you are, but you embarrass me to be part of your family.”

Sasuke froze again. The stranger gave him a flat smile. “Ah, just as lost as I, are you? Tell me, Sasuke, what do you remember?”

So totally stunned at what he had just heard, Sasuke took several long seconds to realize what had been just asked of him.

“I remember… names. Faces. I remember my brother. I remember how to fight. I remember my family being destroyed and I remember that I need revenge.”

The man scoffed at this. “You don’t even know who you’re trying to get revenge on. And here you are having chosen a side without even knowing the stakes, in a world that we have no place in.”

Firing up, Sasuke snarled, “And you do? How do I know that you’re not just some actor that Ozai is using to try and trick me into some—”

At once, the man’s eyes flashed, one with an angry red and the other with a muted purple coloration. Recognizing one of the eyes as a Sharingan, Sasuke stopped talking and swallowed.

“Do I look like an actor?” the man asked coldly. His eyes were as true and genuine as anything Sasuke had yet seen and he knew then that he was indeed dealing with someone from his world, where he had come from. Despite the circumstances, despite the danger, he dared for a moment to hope.

“Who are you?” was all Sasuke could think to say. In that moment, even with Azula, Mai, Sokka and Aang in true danger behind this newcomer, all Sasuke wanted was to know more about who this person was.

Fortunately, the man hardly seemed reserved in offering his own side of this puzzling equation. “My name is Obito; I know we share the last name, Uchiha. It’s why we have these eyes, and I think it has something to do with why we’re here. I too remember names and faces, distantly. And I also remember how to fight.”

As Sasuke eyed Obito’s sword and felt the throbbing pain from the attack he had just taken, he knew that was likely more than a true statement.

“We don’t need to be enemies,” Sasuke tried. “Just because we came into this world in different places and have met different people shouldn’t dictate what side of the line we fall on.”

“I agree,” Obito said before pointing a finger in Sasuke’s direction. “Renounce these terrorists and stand with Ozai and myself. He’s offered his entire wealth of resources in tracking down my lost memory in exchange for helping him put an end to this war.”

And there of course was the catch. There had to be one.

“Ozai is a tyrant,” Sasuke snapped. “He wants to put the entire world under Fire Nation control through force, and you just heard him admit that he was key in wiping out an entire nation of this world that we know nothing about.”

To this, Obito said nothing, merely stared across the way at Sasuke. Sensing an opportunity to push his chances, Sasuke continued.

“I’ve seen the results of his attempts at ‘peace’, or so he calls it. He tried to kill his own son, his own daughter, and you think this is a man to be trusted? What makes you think his side is the right one?”

“You’re talking from the perspective of someone who’s fallen for that princess. Or was it another one of them? The earthbender? A little young for you, don’t you think?” Obito smirked. Sasuke had to keep himself from getting immediately fired up but he wasn’t given time to respond.

“I’ll make this simple for you, Sasuke,” Obito said. “I don’t care if Ozai is in the right or in the wrong. I don’t care about what happens to this world. He has the resources to make finding my past all the easier. I traveled with his brother, a person that I know for a _fact_ could not be an evil person. So if you don’t side with me and make my route forward easier, I’m going to kill you. Then, I’m going to kill all the insane, murderous people you came here with. And I’m going to deliver Ozai this war and he, in turn, is going to deliver my answers.”

He spread his arms in an open gesture. “If you really care about them, you’ll side with me anyway. I’ll make sure they aren’t killed as a result of all this. Ozai is already willing to make accommodations for his children, I’m sure I can make some of my own.”

This was it, then. Sasuke knew just by listening to Obito speak that there was no talking his way out of this. He wasn’t going to be able to cast a genjutsu in time and Obito wouldn’t let him get past to take down Ozai and escape with everyone. With a sinking feeling, he realized just how much peril that Aang and his entire company was in, purely for no reason. There had been no answers to be found. Just more violence.

So he supposed he owed Aang at least a solid try on his part.

He turned his gaze down and closed his eyes. “You’ve made up your mind. I suppose I can’t fault you for that.”

Sasuke opened them, and let the light of his Sharingan wash out over Obito.

“But I’ve made up mine as well. I’ll get the answers I seek, but not through negotiating with a man like this.”

He locked eyes with Obito and growled, “And you’re in my way.”

For a moment that lasted an eternity, they only stared at one another, scanning and digging for weaknesses and preparing all their most lethal attacks. And Sasuke supposed that if Obito was anything like him, he was regretting the little time they had been given to speak to one another and just how unfortunate it was that this world was pitting them against one another.

They both moved at once.

* * *

Sokka gasped for breath as he breached the water’s surface alongside his father. Behind the both of them, the small envoy of special operations soldiers that had accompanied them also surfaced, waiting for orders. All of them fully armed and prepared to leap into action, Sokka looked them over before turning to his father. Explosions, flashes and distant cries were all around them as they hugged the massive underbelly of the Fire Nation’s flagship and Sokka couldn’t help but feel impossibly tiny in comparison.

“Are you sure about this?”

Hakoda offered him the most genuine smile possible and replied, “I wouldn’t have brought this plan to the high command and offered to lead the charge myself if I didn’t have the utmost faith in your design.”

He reached out and put a hand on Sokka’s shoulder as they tread the water. “I’m proud of you, son.”

Allowing himself a moment to swell with happiness at the recognition, Sokka then took a deep breath and turned to the men immediately behind him.

“Now!!”

At once, geysers of water sprang up from beneath him and the two dozen or so men he was with, propelling them upwards through the air to race towards the cloudy night sky. As they came over the deck of the ship, the geysers sputtered out, giving them a last push to come onto the deck; Sokka hit the metal ground with a roll and came out of it with his sword drawn and his teeth bared as he opened his mouth in what was about to be a battle cry intended to frighten any Fire Nation soldier before him.

What he saw instead was hardly anything he had prepared for.

He and his father had led this dark op when they noticed that some level of chaos had broken out neat the _Azulon_ , and they had rushed into the ocean in an effort to take advantage of whatever carnage was being generated. They had expected that there had been some sort of malfunction aboard the ship causing it to suffer a series of explosions and ships were being dispatched to help with the repairs. But as Sokka looked over the deck, he could see that they had been grievously wrong in their assumptions.

Because what Sokka saw was perhaps one of the most shocking and uplifting sights he could have seen.

Toph was slowly tearing pieces of the ship’s metal exterior and flinging it over the ship’s bow at shouted positions from Suki and Ty Lee, while Zuko and his sister rushed about, slinging fire and water at any approaching small craft that were near enough to be too close to comfort that Sokka and his company had needed to swim around in their approach of the ship. They all stopped though to turn and stare as Toph called out they had visitors.

Sokka couldn’t decide who he wanted to go and hug first.

Katara made the decision for him and walked up to him, and he closed the distance and threw his arms around her.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re safe!! I was so worried about you!!”

Strangely though, she only returned his hug half-heartedly and slowly pulled away, looking at him in confusion. Before he could ask her what was the matter, Suki and the rest of them jogged over and Sokka then threw his arms around his girlfriend.

“And you!! These past few nights have been killing me!! I missed holding you so much…”

And as she said nothing and Sokka pulled away, he saw that Suki too was giving him the strangest look, one that didn’t reflect at all the relief he might have respected in turn after he had been gone for several days. Zuko, Ty Lee and Toph all mirrored the expressions of Suki and his sister and Sokka looked around at them in confusion.

“What?”

A booming thud knocked the side of the ship, sending up a spray of water. Hakoda barked out orders to his men before turning to Katara and stepping forward to wrap his daughter in a hug, one that Sokka noticed with annoyance was returned much stronger than the one he had given.

“Don’t be long in your reunion. You kids have done great so far, but we need to stick to the plan.”

He addressed Sokka then and gave his son another pat on the shoulder. “Get them up to speed as quick as you can.”

Then, he rushed off to coordinate his soldiers in picking up where Katara and the others had left off. With that, Sokka looked back to his sister and asked a more, less ambiguous, “What?!”

It was Ty Lee then who slowly asked, “Sokka, what do you remember about the last few days?”

He made a bemused face before sputtering out, “What’s to tell? I thought you guys would have been worried sick, but I guess not. I went with dad, and Chit Sang and the other kids to the first outpost we could reach. I went inside the main headquarters with dad to talk to the leadership of the western offensive about what they could give us about Ozai, you know, that I could take back to Aang and all you guys. I left the tent about an hour later to fly back, but when I went to look for Appa, he was gone.”

He shrugged.

“I guess I just assumed that Aang had used that whistle, or something else had sent him away. One way or another, I was just stuck with dad and everyone else. I’ve been worried like crazy about you guys but I guess that you all just decided to make a move on Ozai the same night we did, crazy as that seems. I thought Aang was going to wait until Sozin’s Comet though? I bet it had something to do with Sasuke, he probably wanted to go earlier, didn’t he?”

His questions weren’t met with any answers though and instead he watched as his comrades looked to one another with expressions of growing concern as Toph turned to look towards the yawning entrance of the ship’s interior. Sokka finally couldn’t handle it any longer and threw his hands up.

“What are you all looking like that for?!”

For a second, no one replied. Then, Suki looked back to him and spoke slowly as though she were afraid that something she said was going to upset him.

“Because, Sokka, two days ago, you came back with Appa. You’ve been traveling with us since then.”

Katara’s expression was now looking more frightened then anything.

“And ten minutes ago, you went down below deck with Aang, Sasuke, Mai and Azula to find Fire Lord Ozai.”

As what they said rebounded inside his head over and over before finally settling and chilling him to the core, Sokka swallowed and slowly looked to the ship’s interior entrance with the rest of them.

Toph was already running that way.

* * *

It was utterly baffling in Mai’s head where her priorities were in that moment. There she was, squaring up against who was perhaps the most powerful firebender alive, very much fighting for her life and for those of her companions and yet she couldn’t so much as keep her mind drifting to Zuko, or Sasuke.

She had near the edge of that cliff for well over an hour after everyone else had lain down, trying to decipher her feelings, but had come no closer to any kind of solution in bringing herself peace. Mai knew that Zuko was resentful of what she had done, and it had been stupid of her to even think that speaking with him in private wouldn’t have been a much more practical solution than just pretending it had never happened. But she had been so hopeful that she could just bury it that it hadn’t even crossed her mind that Katara might fight as dirty as she had.

But still, Katara’s public outing of her aside, why had she reacted so badly?

Mai had thought to it a hundred times at least by that point; every part of her natural persona indicated she would have snapped something back or downplayed it to the point of being irrelevant, but she still remembered her heart rate exploding to a new height, how humiliated she had felt and how, of all the people she had looked to first, it hadn’t been Zuko.

It had been Sasuke.

A whip of fire conjured up by Ozai slung its way past her midsection. It might have burned a hole clean through her if she hadn’t been able to get her thoughts under control enough to leap aside and evade it. Nevertheless, it opened up the side of her robes and struck her with a nasty burn just below her ribs and she yelled in pain. The fiery cord reared back to snap towards her again, but suddenly, the Avatar was in front of her, waving his hands frantically. It was clear his mastery of firebending was still not quite achieved, but he was able to twist it enough that it dissipated into hot sparks. Aang turned to look at her.

“Are you alri—”

Mai lunged forward then and tackled him to the ground as a wave of heat blasted over their heads and smashed into the wall behind them with a scorching boom. Looking up to see if another attack was coming, Mai saw Azula and Sokka moving in, the princess slinging attacks just as large in scope at her father, blue fire crashing against his orange flames, while Sokka attempted to move around and potentially get a hit in while the Fire Lord was distracted. Ozai was forced to occasionally turn from his daughter and hurl an attack towards Katara’s brother, but he avoided each of them nimbly. Almost too easily, Mai thought, like Sokka was somehow able to increase his speed in combat.

She rose to her feet, wincing at the burn on her midsection and pulled Aang up by the forearm. It took a single look to see how shaken the kid was and Mai felt a pang of regret that he had been selected by Sasuke to venture down this far with them. She knew why though; Katara would never have let it go if Aang hadn’t been actively involved in Ozai’s defeat.

Still, Mai was sure that whatever Katara didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

She put a hand on Aang’s shoulder, looking down at him, doing her best to sound as compassionate as she felt; speaking kind words didn’t exactly come naturally to her.

“Look, kid, you can hang back, if you want. Azula, Sokka and I, we can handle this.”

The fear and lowkey panic that had been on Aang’s face gave way to indignation. “And let you and Sokka take the brunt of his attacks?! You’re both nonbenders and you could be hurt way more easily than I could!”

Mai looked up back to the fight, understanding that this was probably not the time to have a heart to heart on the importance of duty and survival.

“Just take it easy in there, “ she finally said. “We lose you, and Katara’ll have all our heads on stakes before the night is out.”

They both looked back towards Ozai who was falling into a rhythm of defending himself against Sokka’s probing advances and Azula’s onslaught of bright blue fire. In the midst of it, he was calling out to his daughter, adding verbal engagement to his offense.

“You can still make things right, Azula,” he was saying, that Mai struggled to hear over the roaring heat of their attacks. “Come back to my side, and all can be forgiven.”

Azula’s face deepened with fury at these words, her attacks growing more and more wild by the second. Mai growled and said, “We’d better get back in there.”

Aang looked at her, “You’re worried Ozai’s going to get her too reckless?”

She shook her head, “I’m worried she’s going to listen to him.”

Nodding, Aang propelled himself back into the fray, a newfound courageousness etched into his face. He summoned a cyclone as he leapt into the air and slammed it into Ozai’s side, sending his next fireball awry and forcing him to give ground to Azula. Mai realized that if the room hadn’t been as massive a chamber as it was, this would surely have been a much different fight had the space for battle been any more enclosed. She drew several knives and made to insert herself back into the conflict before she happened to look to her right and stopped where she stood.

Sasuke and the stranger were going at one another in hand to hand combat on the other side of Ozai’s chamber. Considering the explosive awe that accompanied the fight of benders and nonbenders occurring nearby, their battle would have seemed much less impressive by scale and therefore less noticeable. But as Mai watched, her eyes widening, she could tell that there was so much more happening than even she could tell.

Sasuke’s arms and the stranger’s arms were actually blurring to her vision, as though they were moving too quickly for her brain to track. It looked as though they might even be phasing through one another as she noticed leg sweeps and kicks were a part of the fray as well. It was as though each of them were both several steps ahead of the other and it genuinely started to hurt her head on how much she couldn’t tell what was actually happening.

An explosive bang sounded to her left and she looked back to see Ozai stumbling towards the back wall of his chamber at the combine effort of Azula and Aang’s firebending. The princess turned and fixed Mai with a furious look.

“Anytime you’re ready would be just fine with me!”

Cursing, Mai tore her eyes away from Sasuke’s conflict and returned it to her own as she raced forward to end the battle that she had unknowingly been preparing to wage for years.

Sasuke would still be there when Ozai was finished, she convinced herself.

* * *

Toph’s breathing came in ragged gasps as she tore her way through the _Azulon’s_ interior. Her adeptness with metalbending was nowhere near as proficient as her absolute mastery of earthbending, but she could still tell that, just as sure as she was that her Sokka, Katara, Ty Lee, Suki and Zuko were all running behind her, there was a battle of extreme proportions occurring somewhere below her.

The hallways and corridors of the ship became tunnels in her mind as she connected the dots in finding the path that would lead her below to where she wanted to be, where she _had_ to be. She focused as hard as she ever had, even as exhausted as she was from the effort it had taken to send all those massive pieces of metal flinging towards approaching Fire Nation craft. Soldiers that must have missed Sasuke and company when they had come down initially or perhaps who just now had been alerted to the situation were blown aside by metal pieces rent from the very halls down which they ran.

Sasuke was in danger and Toph was stopping for no one.

Distantly, she tried to imagine who the mystery person disguising themselves as Sokka had been. She was struggling not to beat herself up mentally for it; the person had never quite had the same bounce and aura to his weight and movement as Sokka had, with his antics and goofiness almost feeling forced at times over the past couple days. But Toph guessed she had just played that off as him trying to inject some good natured humor into their often depressing situation, as forced as it might have been. That, or she had been too mentally preoccupied with other things to properly take into stock his odd behavior.

Toph didn’t know why she was so ambiguously lying to herself when she knew for a fact she meant Sasuke.

He was the reason she had been feeling so distracted and so pained in recent days, he was the reason why she had dared to hope for a real future beyond this war, he was the reason she had cried herself to sleep on more than one occasion, and he was the reason why now, even as she barreled her way deeper into the ship, tears burned their way down her cheeks.

 _Sasuke,_ she thought and grit her teeth, _you better not die on me._


	18. Chapter 18

** Chapter 18: Reunited and Separated **

Sasuke’s heart wasn’t in the fight.

Well, in a sense, he supposed it was, but not to the extent that it felt like beating Obito was his best course of action. As their Sharingan flashed and they slew punches, chops, jabs, and all manner of kicks at one another at a speed that was very much inhuman, he just realized that he didn’t quite know why he hadn’t taken Obito up on this offer.

It didn’t strike him as a particularly rational decision; Obito, by this point, had more than proven himself as a worthy adversary, and was surely someone just as exceptionally powerful for this world as Sasuke was. On top of that, Ozai’s promise was something that the both of them would more than be able to take advantage of; if he was a lying sort which Sasuke would expect of the father of two unhinged emotional children, Sasuke and Obito’s combined power would more than force him into keeping his word. Regardless, having another Uchiha on his side would be more than a little beneficial. Someone from his world as well, someone he could talk to and try and rationalize their situation.

But Sasuke had been willing to take this to blows in an instant, ever since Ozai had gone and threatened…

_Who am I doing this for?_

Sidestepping a slashing kick that followed up into a roundabout spin that needed to be dipped beneath, Sasuke tried to settle in his head just what his own reasoning was.

His mind moved to Azula first and he spared the briefest instant to look over to her as she engaged her father in a massive battle of fire that seemed to move in slow motion to his eyes. Her face was a determined snarl, but the pleasure that she gained from battles still glowed in her eyes. It could have been her, he supposed, despite his exceptionally mixed feelings in her direction.

There was Toph, then as well. The protectiveness that he felt swung over him in a wave and it spurred him to sent a vicious jab at Obito that was just barely blocked. He knew she was powerful, she had asserted this to him on multiple occasions, but in a similar vein to Aang, he felt a need to shield her from the chaos that this war would deal to her and scar her with. But there was more to it than that; he couldn’t determine exactly how he felt about her either just as he remained confused on his feel towards Azula, but he knew for certain that there was something more than just protectiveness urging him onwards.

Perhaps it was both of them. Perhaps it was _all_ of them. Could it have been that he was developing feelings for his entire lineup of companions? Their overall reactions to him had been the most wild variance of mixed, but as he thought of his conversations with Mai and Toph, that burning that he felt when he thought to Azula, and the complete confusion he felt regarding Katara, he remembered too the aid Suki, Sokka, and Ty Lee had been willing to aid him with. He thought to Zuko who had only recently smashed him with a punch who now was fighting above deck due to a decision he had made who was doubting the loyalty of his girlfriend because of something Sasuke had done. He thought to Aang, who had shown him more understanding and compassion than he would have expected of anyone.

He supposed he did care about these people, even if his own self was in a fair amount of denial over the fact. Why else would he have been so willing to go to war with one of his own family?

* * *

Azula felt a jet of fire rush by her face and was reminded not for the first time that her father was trying to kill her, and her him. Aang, Mai and Sokka were all providing more than a fair amount of support, but to her, it really felt that she and her father were the primary combatants existing as the culmination of this war. If only the inhabitants of Ba Sing Se, or one of the many Earth Nation towns she had assaulted and scorched could see her now, fighting with the aim of defeating the Fire Lord. It sickened her to think of such weak and helpless individuals and the profits they might reap for her victory, but these annoying supposes were hardly in her best interests to be considering. Her father was out for blood and she needed to be too if she wanted to walk away alive and victorious.

In an attempt to catch him off guard, she ducked underneath a wave of fire that he sent hurling her way and spun, drawing her chi up in a tightly knit focus composed of her fury, hate and desperation. As she came out of her spin to face him again, Azula sent a burst of lightning spitting from her fingertips in his direction. She saw her father’s face briefly illuminated by the blue of the lightning, eyes angry and narrowed, before he caught her attack and redirected it carelessly and it exploded against the ceiling. In the time it took him to accomplish this however, Sokka was able to roll up on his side and slash with his sword; Ozai jumped away just barely, but a knife then planted itself in his thigh and he shouted in anger and pain. Hurling a fireball at Mai who had struck the hit, he didn’t see Aang coming up behind him with a gust of wind that knocked him to the ground. The four of them moved in, but as the Fire Lord pushed himself to his hands and knees, a firestorm burst out from his palms, sending waves of heat roaring in sporadic loops of fire that Azula and Aang were just able to deflect and Mai and Sokka had to roll to avoid.

They could hurt him, but his power was just too overwhelming. It would take a long period of eventual wearing him down, time they didn’t have. Grudgingly, Azula realized that the best course of action would most likely be… working together. She winced at the thought; Ty Lee and Mai had been one thing, as she had known them for so many years before working in her father’s employ as an enforcer of sorts, but getting along with none other than the Avatar? Their history wasn’t exactly smooth.

Nonetheless, she drew up a wall of flame that she dissipated into a smokescreen just as quickly. It would buy her just enough time to hopefully relay her thoughts.

“Avatar,” she growled by way of greeting as she slid up next to him, knowing that it would only be moments before the smoke was washed away by her father’s rampant assault. Aang looked just as surprised to see her and looked inquisitively back.

“My father’s power is unmatched as a firebender even without Sozin’s Comet. Assuming we want to defeat him before it arrives tomorrow, we’ll have to try something risky, since Sasuke is… preoccupied.”

She couldn’t help a glance over at Sasuke as she said this and felt her heart throb as she saw him locked in combat with this newcomer, who looked just as capable as he was. Still, he had his fight just as they had theirs and she was able to look away and remind herself of what she needed to do.

“What do you have in mind?” Aang asked, just as a shout from Ozai sounded and the smoke was blown away with a fresh collage of orange and yellow. Azula spoke quickly of her plan and within seconds, Aang gave her a nod and they both rushed towards Ozai on his right and left respectively.

Their sudden aggression caught her father off guard as she had expected; he drew up his arms to summon what Azula knew would be columns of fire to disorient and block them, but she had already been able to relay this knowledge to Aang. The Avatar sent a powerful draft of wind rushing across the metal floor, kicking the Fire Lord’s summoned fire back towards the ceiling, a useless cluster of flame that splashed above them with spectacular color. As she drew her hand back, Azula saw Mai and Sokka, though not privy to the plan, still moving in as well in an attempt to aid their lesser talents to the fray. With any luck, Azula thought they might just be the distraction she needed.

With her father’s attack disrupted, she slammed a hand on the ground, sending a wave of electricity sprouting outwards in an area of about a dozen meters all around. Aang’s updraft swung around to lift himself, Azula, Mai and Sokka into the air, leaving Ozai the only one in its path. Unable to properly deflect and absorb an attack of such proportions that had come beneath him, the lightning hit him and he roared, body contorting in pain. Azula saw that being suddenly lifted hadn’t dulled Mai’s grasp on the situation and she slung a knife into Ozai’s shoulder for good measure just before they all touched back down. Once again, they all moved in for the final strike.

“My daughter,” Ozai growled over the crackling din of the blue sparks that engulfed him. “Did you really think such a trick would work on me?”

At once, Azula realized she had just failed terribly; her father hadn’t just taken the hit, he had been absorbing it all the while and amplifying it at the same time. She hadn’t a moment to even cry out a warning before the Fire Lord’s hands spread towards them like monstrous spiders and an eruption of lightning smashed into them. Azula could hear herself screaming just barely over the din of the screeching lightning as her body felt like it was tearing itself apart. After what felt like ages, she crashed to the ground, her whole form twitching and searing horribly. She saw her companions also lain out around her like ragdolls, just as much damaged from the attack as she had been. She also saw her father slowly marching their way, pulling free the knives that Mai had stuck him with as he did. Azula tried to crawl to her feet, and just managed to stagger upright before she watched Ozai draw back and plunge the two blades into Mai’s right thigh; she screamed into clenched teeth before Ozai snapped a kick into her head, stunning her into silence. He reached down then and picked up an almost completely unresponsive Aang by the throat and hoisting him into the air. It struck Azula then how small and young the Avatar was.

“This truly was your best?” her father asked, lifting Aang higher still. “With such a team of powerful benders, I would have expected better of you all.”

Azula grimaced and stumbled, feeling a wave of pain and hatred as she watched Ozai’s smile grow. She saw Sokka facedown a ways away, shaking, but looking like he was trying to recover.

“I can’t tell you how much this hurts me, Azula. After everything I gave you, after all the times I stood by your side during your periods of insubordination and rebelliousness, I always believed that your fervor and love for this nation would shine through. And it did for so long.”

There was something like regret and sadness in his voice, and Azula’s mouth contorted in fury; her father didn’t _get_ to be sad for this.

“You never cared about me, father. You never cared about anyone. Just your power.”

Ozai spread his arms, Aang dangling from his grasp like a dead fish. “Am I to be judged for the decisions I made for my people? There is no longer a spark in you, Azula, there is only hate and denial. You have become corrupted by your own emotions, emotions I long since warned you against falling prey to.”

His smiled widened further and he pointed with his free hand towards where Sasuke was still fighting.

“But all for a boy? I would have thought you would have more guts than that. Your mother would be ashamed.”

Snarling, Azula made to rush her father again, but made it only a couple steps before falling to her knees. Gasping in pain, she hugged her quivering body and looked up hatefully for a last time at Ozai.

“He is more powerful, and more important to me than you ever could be.”

Finally, she watched in satisfaction as his face shufted into a scowl. “So be it. When you both are captured and kneeling at my feet, I’ll make sure he is executed first. Perhaps watching him die will be enough to bring you to your senses.”

A pang of sheer panic swirled in Azula’s gut and she could feel the fear that stretched suddenly across her face then.

“But first,” her father intoned, looking down at Aang. “I need to finish what our family line started generations ago.”

Fire swirled around his wrist and Azula felt herself only able to watch as he brought a hand towards Aang, ready to snuff the life from the Avatar that she had dedicated so much time to pursuing and was now fighting alongside.

Metal burst open at Ozai’s feet and threw him off balance. As he stumbled backwards, the water pipes above them that traced their way along the ceiling burst and water came cascading down in an intent flood, crashing into the Fire Lord’s back, throwing him to the ground and sending Aang flying. Before his limp form hit the ground, Suki sprinted into the thick of it and caught him, before reversing her direction hard and running back to where Toph and Katara had come sprinting into the room. Just behind them, Zuko skidded into the room and looked around frantically. When he caught sight of Azula, he ran up to her.

“Are you alright?” His voice, so thick with desperation, resounded off her aching eardrums and she waved aside his concern. Ahead of them, Ozai was rising to his feet, his robes torn from fighting and his face now thoroughly showing his utter frustration and fury with the situation.

Azula found she was longer scared of him.

“Ready, Zuzu?” was all she asked, and for once, he didn’t seem to show any response for the nickname he so hated.

“Ready.”

As though they had been practicing it for years, brother and sister surged forward, Azula feeling strangely reinvigorated being side by side with Zuko. His control was unlike anything she remembered him displaying in previous battles, as though he had been able to take the rage that so harnessed his movements and temper it into raw focus. Side by side, they threw flames of blue and orange to cascade towards their father, unrelenting and unforgiving. With the two of them weaving their firestorms so harshly, Ozai could only play on the defensive, slowly backing away, deflecting and absorbing their blows, but able to unleash none of his own.

Falling into a rhythm, Azula and Zuko increased their offensive, hammering down with spears and waves of flame even faster. Exceptionally impressed by her brother’s performance, Azula risked a glance over and saw that tears were streaming down Zuko’s face even as he attacked with more and more fervor.

 _Why,_ she thought numbly, before turning back and heightening her own output.

The end came with a jolting suddenness. Seeming to realize that perpetually falling back would only result in his defeat, Ozai waited until just the exact moment when attacks from both his children were about to consume him before propelling himself into the air on spouts of fire and slinging a flaming bolt at Zuko. His son crossed his arms and blocked it, though the blow staggered him nonetheless. Still, this moment allowed Azula to strike true; her lightning flowed out of her hands like a wave and blasted her father from the air. His eyes seemed to flicker with pride for a moment before he dropped to the ground. Grunting, he seemed to try and struggle up before a blur passed on Azula’s left and she blinked to see Ty Lee on top of her father instantly, jabbing with precise and sharp movements. Ozai roared to his feet and struck her across the side of the face, sending her skidding to the ground but when he tried to blast her prone form, no fire came from his hands. He had a moment to realize what had happened before iron bands sprouted from the floor and forced him to the ground and bound him there.

Azula looked down and saw Ozai lying defeated at her feet. It was over.

The threat having been neutralized, the group reformed slowly around Aang while keeping a close watch on the downed Ozai who had a look of humiliation and fury on his face, though no sounds escaped his throat.

“Is everyone okay?” Katara asked and a slowly waking Aang pointed a wobbly hand at the sizable burn that Mai had sustained.

“It’s nothing really,” Mai muttered as she tested her weight on her injured leg, but Katara slowly pulled back the burned clothes, eliciting a wince before getting to work on easing the scorch mark on her side and to the wounds on her leg. Ty Lee looked at Ozai with disbelief written on her face.

“I don’t believe it… did we really do it?”

Everyone seemed content to fall into silence at that point and reflect on the magnitude of what had just been achieved. Azula looked at the expressions of her allies which ranged from stunned, to elated, to pained and found herself unable to look at any of them. As if any single one of them could fathom the step she had just taken for them.

“I hope you guys left some of that Ozai for me, because I’ve got a sword and it has more than a few things to say to him!!”

Azula looked back to see Sokka come tearing into the sprawling massive chamber, out of breath and sword drawn. She sniffed disdainfully at the fool and snapped, “You’re a little late, we just so happened to—”

She stopped talking as a very curious and relevant detail made itself clear to her. It was clear by the looks on the surrounding faces that she wasn’t the only one who had been struck by this very confusing variable and she snapped her head to look at where Sokka had fallen after Ozai’s strike, only to find that space empty.

It took a moment of looking around wildly before she finally spotted that particular Sokka with his back to them. She looked back quickly to the Sokka that had just come running into the room and then back to the one that she had been fighting alongside just moments ago.

Her stunned demeanor was only exacerbated as she saw that the Sokka who had not just come charging down the hall shouting stupid threats was now walking slowly towards Sasuke and the stranger.

* * *

Despite his overall annoyance with Sasuke’s resistance, Obito couldn’t help but feel sorry for the kid as they remained evenly matched in hand to hand combat. He didn’t even know if Sasuke knew it or not, but there was very clearly something at play beyond simple camaraderie. If one of the young women he was traveling with had smitten him somehow, it made it an entire waste of time to keep trying to convince him. In essence, Obito was just hoping to subdue Sasuke rather than kill him; in time, he would come to know the reality of his situation. Neither of them belonged in this world, and their only goals should have been returning their memories and returning home.

_Rin._

The mere thought of the name sent a face flashing through his mind, a pure and beautiful smile beaming up at him, and Obito nearly took a direct hit from Sasuke at the distraction. He attempted to stave off this thought, but even as he resumed a focused balance of blocks and blows against his fellow Uchiha, the thought of Rin in the back of his head never truly faded.

For all his verbal banter towards Sasuke, Obito knew that he was just as much a prisoner of attachment. He wanted to save Iroh, and he wanted very badly to see Rin again. And no one, not Sasuke, not Ozai, not this Avatar person would be getting in the way of that.

He wondered where Rin was now. Did she think about him a lot? Did she even know who he was? Was time passing at the same margin here as it did there? It was all pointless to even attempt to draw conjecture over, but Obito couldn’t help himself. Having someone to fight for had toughened him immensely in only the period it had taken for him to rest, for now, he was no longer wandering and searching for purpose that might lie within a city deep in the Earth Nation. Now, he had people to fight for, both of which required him to reach Ba Sing Se.

And for whatever Sasuke’s own thought process was, he had spoken a statement that may as well have been said by Obito himself.

They were in each other’s way.

He distantly noted Ozai being taken down by a fresh influx of people that had come swarming into the wide chamber, but he paid it little mind. As long as he wasn’t killed, he could continue to be useful; once Obito dealt with Sasuke, he could wade his way through these children and resume pushing towards Ba Sing Se, where answers and revelations surely awaited.

_Hang in there, Iroh. You get killed, and then I’ll just have to tear down that whole city and burn everyone inside it._

The emptiness that had led him through the earlier days of his journeys had been overtaken with violent thoughts and aggravated determination. Every minute that passed seemed to be a minute wasted where Rin could be slipping further away or Iroh was nearing execution. He needed to step things up.

Sasuke drew a kunai and slashed it towards the scarred side of Obito’s face. He caught the wrist and twisted it, and the blade fell to the floor. Smiling, Obito moved his grip up to Sasuke’s hand and he snapped off a quick couple hand signs before slamming a kick into Sasuke’s chin and sending him flying backwards. Before Sasuke had even hit the ground, Obito leapt into the air and sent a massive fireball roaring from his mouth that splashed into a wall of metal that rose up from where Sasuke had slammed his palms. Not deterred, Obito sprang forward and crashed through the metal wall that bent effortlessly at the behest of another quick jutsu. But Sasuke wasn’t where he had thought as he came down on where he had last seen his opponent.

Suddenly, Sasuke was just behind him slamming him with a Chidori infused fist. Obito’s side exploded in a burning pain as he cursed himself for being so careless. Ignoring the searing agony, he grabbed Sasuke’s arm and smashed him across the face with an elbow; Sasuke recovered quickly and threw a jab towards Obito’s head which was blocked and thrust away, as they again fell into a façade of combat as their Sharingan neutralized one another’s strikes. Obito felt confident that he could wear down Sasuke if given enough time, but that was not a luxury he had afforded to him right about then. As he flicked his eyes over and saw Ozai finally overpowered and pinned to the ground with metal restraints, he knew it was only a matter of time before these benders turned their abilities on him. Alone, they were no match for him, but he knew that they were all still capable of great power and were not people to be underestimated. Their defeating of Ozai affirmed what the Fire Lord had told him only hours ago; they were not ordinary children. If they interfered, it could prove costly.

Allowing himself to take a violent punch in the gut, Obito curled around Sasuke’s outstretched limb and slammed him in the head with a kick. The both of them went flying backwards a few dozen yards apart to catch themselves and size one another up. Obito kept a careful watch on Sasuke while flicking the occasional glance back towards the Avatar and his companions.

“You remember what you’re doing, I’ll give you that,” he called out. As Sasuke staggered upright, Ozai’s daughter seemed to approach him, her voice ripe with excitement and concern.

“Sasuke!” she cried out, but the boy in question threw up a hand and she stopped in her tracks.

“Nobody gets any closer,” he snarled and Obito saw the intensity in his eyes. “He’s mine to deal with.”

Obito saw a chance to prod his opponent into some reckless behavior. “No, go on, Sasuke, listen to your girlfriend.” He was distantly aware of the flurry of angry and confused reactions that passed between several of the girls at his initial comment.

“You need help, don’t you? You’d never admit it, you don’t want help, just like you don’t want to do what it takes to get to the truth. You’re denying what you need out of pride.”

He waited a moment, but Sasuke didn’t seem to take the bait. Rather, he gathered himself up and straightened, glaring at Obito through his flashing red Sharingan.

“You’re trying to do what can’t work. I’m not that simple, Obito. And even if I was, I still think it’s about time we…”

Sasuke trailed off and Obito finished for him, “End this?”

Nodding, Sasuke bent his knees and blood streamed down his cheeks as black fire burst to life around his arms, cloaking in them in burning gauntlets of his Amaterasu. Mirroring Sasuke’s readied stance, Obito snapped off a few quick hand signals and a wooden dragon burst to life, wrapping its way around his figure, prepared to strike. He ignored his impromptu audience’s gasps and surprise at his Wood Release technique and prepared a Great Fireball jutsu; with any luck, his dragon could take the brunt of the Amaterasu and allow Obito to slam Sasuke with his follow up attack and gain the advantage. Regardless, there was going to be a fair amount of carnage in just a moment and he hoped Sasuke realized the amount of danger he was allowing his supposed “friends” to be in with them watching from such a distance. Maybe if one of them were killed, it would wake him to the reality that this wasn’t their world and further conflict was nothing short of destructive.

_Oh well. Hope you’re ready for this one, Sasuke._

For a moment, pure echoing silence settled on the looming chamber before both Obito and Sasuke propelled themselves towards one another with a furious, impossible speed. Obito kept his eyes on Sasuke the whole way; though the speed at which they moved made the distance closed in a fraction of a second, Obito’s eyes gave him time to analyze every weakness in Sasuke’s attack and how best to exploit them.

That being said, he was only really watching for Sasuke.

A hand suddenly appeared out of seemingly thin air and seemed to strike Obito in the chest before he looked down to see that the hand was stopping him. He saw too that another hand, a match to the first, had caught Sasuke as well; the two of them, such powerful and destructive forces of pure will and energy, had been brought to a halt by a person holding up their hands. As a furious snarl crossed Obito’s face at the sheer improbability of it, he was shoved backwards by the aforementioned palm and he slid to a halt nearly to where he had first launched himself at his opponent, as Sasuke too was flung away.

Obito banished the wood dragon and got to his feet, staring down at the newcomer who had so sought to interfere with this affair.

He was a younger man, perhaps somewhere between Obito and Sasuke’s age. Hair as black as theirs and garbed in a black cloak marked with red clouds. The mere sight of it stirred words and memories in Obito’s head, words like “Akatsuki” and “Tailed Beasts.” The man turned his gaze from Sasuke to Obito and Obito could see the flickering red of Sharingan there amidst a strangely greyed face marred with what looked to be cracks. And as he saw the tell tale lines that tracked from the man’s eyes down his cheeks in diagonals slashes, Obito knew who this man was.

_“I have terms… I will help you exact revenge on the Uchiha clan… but you are not to harm the village itself…”_

_“…nor Sasuke Uchiha.”_

A humorless smile worked its way onto Obito’s face as he watched Sasuke’s face blossom into a pained mask of recognition and hurt as they both regarded the figure that now stood between them.

“Well… why don’t you say hello to your brother?”

Obito cocked his head.

“Or is that too much of an emotional gesture for you…”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Itachi.”

* * *

Sasuke felt as though there were no ground beneath his feet, nor a ceiling above his head.

He was hanging in space, unable to move nor even to blink or breath. The world had ground to a screeching and halting standstill and all within it had faded to background noise, mere gentle distractions before this dawning epiphany before him. Before its nearly alien and cosmic glow, things that had so occupied his mind seemed to fade into obscurity; Aang, Katara, Azula, Mai, Toph, and all the others seemed to be erased from his thoughts as his gaze locked on the one person he had thought he would never see again, but whose visage permanently burned a horrible, yet beautiful hole in his mind.

His brother was here, and Sasuke was helpless.

Helpless to act, to speak, to even think. It was a numbness, but unlike the numbness that had been forced upon him when he realized how little help Ozai could actually be to him, this paralysis was something he could practically greet with open arms.

His brother was here. His brother was alive.

With no thought to who might see, he allowed the burning tracks of tears to open on his cheeks, streaming away his stress, his loss, his hurt and confusion. There were still no real answers, none that he could turn to with understanding, but with Itachi standing before him, he felt that clarity was no longer an impossible task to achieve.

Sasuke realized he had fallen to his knees, his hands shaking at his sides.

Itachi was alive.

He couldn’t identify the feeling that surged within him then. All he knew was that he never wanted it to go.

Before him, as though a scene from a play. Itachi faced down Obito, his face a flat and unmistakable calm that Sasuke knew was an expression he himself wore quite often.

“You’ve deluded yourself, Obito. The answers that we are tasked to find about our existence in this world are not to be gained by allying with genocidal tyrants.”

Obito’s red shining eye and the other of deep purple widened in what could have been disbelief. “Itachi. I don’t know how you’re standing before me now, not when I have a very vivid memory of you being dead. But I know your past. And I know your way. And I know that you calling anyone genocidal is a fine dose of irony if ever I’ve heard it.”

Itachi was unfazed by this personal jab and ignored it. “Whatever the reason we are here, it is a reason we have to remember is one that we do not understand. We are family, we are Uchiha and we cannot spend our time fighting amongst one another.”

“And what would you know about any of it!” Obito shouted, finally seeming to lose some of what had clearly been some faked composure. “Do you have more memory than either of us?! Where have you been ‘brother’?! Why show yourself now, when you seemed to be having such a grand time pretending to be that Water Tribe boy?!”

There was a pregnant pause as Itachi waited to answer.

“I’ve done by best to absorb from this world and from the both of you just what the stakes truly are. I’ve bided by time and listened closely from the sides of this war-ravaged world and learned all about the horrors imposed on all its peoples. But from all this listening, I have heard a vital difference between myself and the both of you. You want the truth, Obito? The truth is, I remember everything.”

Sasuke felt a jolt of surprise at this through the complete stupefaction that had locked him to the ground and he saw the same reaction reflected on Obito’s face.

“What…?”

“And it’s not just myself I know about. I know you, Obito. I know who you are and what brought you to the state you were in, just before you were thrown into this world alongside us. But you don’t remember the story itself, do you? Just names and faces. Perhaps places and smells and who knows what else, but you don’t know the story, do you? Your story?”

Completely cowed into silence by this, Obito stared wildly at Itachi who proceeded with a measured and halting tone, drowning his assertions with powerful emphasis.

“You remember a name, don’t you? A very important name, the name of a person who meant a great deal to you. She meant so much that you were willing to throw away your humanity in pursuit of seeing her again?”

“How is any of this throwing away my humanity?! Trying to get back to see her, that’s some horrible sin?!” Obito barked and Itachi stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head.

“You don’t remember the most important part. I’m not talking about now, I’m talking about what you did then and what you were trying to do before we all came to be in this place.”

Obito narrowed his eyes, red and purple becoming slits. “Get to the point.”

Itachi wasted no time. “Rin is dead.”

The three words very clearly seemed enough to shock Obito and he took what could have been an involuntary step back as Itachi aired out the rest of what came to be deeply vital details. “When you were separated from her and Kakashi, a great deal of time passed. When you finally found her again, she was being killed by the very man who you asked to protect her. Rin is dead and you getting back to our world now won’t change that.”

Every word seemed to drop like a bag of sand on Obito’s shoulders and the fight seemed to dwindle more and more out of him. Sasuke could see that these ideas, true or not, were doing a number on his mind and perhaps were triggering memories that he wasn’t particularly pleased to see. Seconds ticked by before he finally seemed to remember where he was and he shook his head furiously, eyes coming alive with that same anger.

“You’re lying!! I’m supposed to listen to the man who killed his entire family?! The hell with you, Itachi!! I’m getting to Ba Sing Se and I’m getting back to see her, and you will not be convincing me that there’s nothing there for me to return to!!”

He swung around and made to move for Ozai, but as he did, a very odd thing happened. His first step froze him where he stood and he remained there unmoving; his entire body was as still as could be, face still frozen in a mask of rage. Sasuke watched him for a long moment before concluding that something had caught him in his tracks. His first thought was to Katara’s ability to bloodbend and he looked over to his companions only to see that they too were all just as motionless and suspended. He saw intense concern on Mai’s face, determination and fear on Katara’s, excitement and hunger on Azula’s, and a myriad of emotions on the others, but none of them moved. Sasuke’s eyes moved to Toph who had her hands in a readied position surely to bring metal to life and interject her way into the fight. He was very grateful she hadn’t; Obito was severely dangerous and any attempt to intervene that she might have made would surely have ended in nothing short of disaster.

His eyes drifted to Ozai who, despite being trapped by metal bands, also seemed just as stuck in place, with an expression that didn’t move. The only person other than Sasuke who seemed free of this paralysis was his brother.

Itachi finally slowly turned to face Sasuke, and his face softened then, a mirror image of a memory from Sasuke’s past. He saw the same sad smile that Itachi had given him many a time when apologizing for not being able to spend time with him, that same regret, but also love that dwindled behind those eyes.

“You’ve grown, little brother.”

Sasuke found that no words could escape his mouth, but Itachi didn’t seem to mind. “I see you’re just as good at getting yourself in unfriendly situations here as you were back home. Maybe you ought to—”

This was as far as Itachi got before he was silenced as Sasuke was suddenly in front of him, throwing his arms around his older brother. Sasuke was hardly a person given to emotional outbursts of any kind, but he had to know this was real, and if it was, he wasn’t sure he wanted to let it go. Itachi was no ghost as his arms made contact with the warmth of a body and slowly, as Itachi’s hands came up to hug him back, Sasuke felt the heat of tears swelling in his eyes.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” he finally managed to say in a voice just above a whisper. He pulled apart from Itachi and saw that though this was indeed his brother, there were other pieces to this that told him things weren’t quite right. The cracks that seemed to spider across his brother’s face and the dark coloration where the whites of his eyes should have been indicated something beyond merely an existence in a different world.

“I killed you. You let me kill you. How are you here now?” he asked as the first of what he knew were many questions. Itachi brought a hand up to graze gently across his own face before replying.

“I believe my revival is due to the use of Edo Tensei.”

 _Impure World Reincarnation,_ Sasuke thought. He remembered discussions of this technique from his past and found himself nodding along.

“I was dead indeed, but am here now for reasons I can’t be sure of. Edo Tensei requires that I serve as a puppet to the whims of whomever revived me, but my only certainty is that I must find a way back to where we come from,” he said before locking eyes with Sasuke.

“Surely by now you’ve realized this is not our world.”

Sasuke nodded.

“And you’ve realized too that it could not have been Ozai who was the cause for my fate.”

There was a long pause then as Sasuke didn’t acknowledge this. Itachi watched him closely before speaking again in a lower, almost reprimanding tone.

“Sasuke, this is not a world where you can fling blame to the wind and strike at whatever it lands on. You know that Ozai is not the cause for your suffering nor mine, yet you trekked all the way here and risked the lives of these people…”

He gestured to Aang and company. “…to pursue an end that you knew to be false.”

Sasuke fired up then, “I had reason to believe—”

“Nothing,” Itachi growled. “You have reason to believe nothing. My death and the choices and actions that brought it about had nothing to do with this world and you knew it all along. I’ve spent days watching you, waiting for you to realize that this decision was a poor one made in equally poor judgement, but you’re ignoring common sense and blazing forward anyway.”

He pointed at Obito. “Rather like him.”

“Why didn’t you show yourself to me?!” Sasuke found himself suddenly shouting. Itachi paused at that, seeming rather like he wasn’t sure just how to answer.

“It wasn’t necessary. I wanted to see how you would react to this world and to these people, what you would do with the little you had been given.”

He smiled distantly. “And it would appear to me you’re having more than a little luck on the romantic side of things.”

It was with great effort that Sasuke didn’t immediately start sputtering incoherently. “What do you mean by that?”

Itachi shook his head. “Come now, little brother, as if anyone couldn’t see the way that Azula looks at you. Or Toph. Or even a couple of the others if I’m not mistaken.”

He looked thoughtful for a moment, stroking his chin and looking off towards the group, “Though I’d be careful of that princess, she seems a little… unhinged.”

Shaking off Itachi’s prodding into his personal life, Sasuke put them back on the topic at hand. “I thought Ozai had information that might be useful to me. And with nowhere else to go, I thought that as good a place to start as any.”

“And so you come up with this half-baked plan to assail the Fire Lord’s fleet at its strongest point with the entire army combat ready, putting everyone you’ve been traveling with at risk in the process?” his brother replied critically.

“I didn’t ask them to come,” Sasuke shot back and his brother shook his head.

“Grow up, Sasuke, this isn’t all about you.”

Itachi’s expression became regretful then. “We are gods to these people, in a very real sense of the word. We can do things beyond their understanding, beyond their reasoning and have little to nothing to fear from them. You cannot go surging through this world in an effort to vent and distract yourself from your fears just because you can.”

Sasuke’s pure shock and relief at seeing his brother began to give way to resentment. Not at his Itachi, but his circumstance. “And what exactly am I supposed to do? All I have are my jutsu and techniques; the only other memories I have are of names, and faces, and you. Isn’t tearing my way through this world to find that closure exactly what I need to do?”

“You’re talking like a child,” Itachi replied coolly. “There are of course ways to find clarity and seek out your past or a way home, but this isn’t our world. We aren’t privy to treat it as carelessly as you have.”

Sasuke pointed at Sokka who was stuck standing still a dozen meters away, suspended in time. “If I’m not mistaken, you were posing as him for a good while, were you not? You’ve injected yourself into these people’s lives just as much as I have, slinking around in someone else’s skin. Is that not just as offensive to this world than what I’ve done?”

Itachi seemed to ignore this. “Perhaps it is due to my present condition, but my memory is just as much a part of me as anything else. From what I’ve gained, you and Obito are both lacking in your recollections, however.”

Sasuke gave a bitter nod.

“You don’t remember Naruto? Or Kakashi? Or Sakura? Or Gaara?”

Each one of these names crashed into Sasuke’s mind with a painful haze that he couldn’t see through. Each of the names were people that he knew had been a part of his life, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember more than faces to go with them, faces he wasn’t even sure belonged to each individual name.

“Not to any relevant extent, no,” he said and Itachi nodded.

“I see. Well, we can’t worry too much about that just now, as getting us back to our world should be our top priority.”

Sasuke looked up at his brother with annoyed eyes. “Yeah, let’s just do that then. I don’t suppose you have a place to start?”

Raising a hand and pointing at Obito, his brother replied, “From what I’ve been able to gather, there are answers for us in the city he was trying to make his way to. Or at the very least, something to show us the way forward.”

Gesturing, Sasuke asked, “How are you holding everyone still like this?”

At this, Itachi winced and put a hand to his eye. “I have them all under Izanami. This technique costs me the sight of an eye, but under Edo Tensei, I should be able to recover my sight. Still, holding ten people seems to be taking its toll on me, this is not particularly easy.”

“Izanami?” Sasuke asked.

“A genjutsu of sorts that holds a person in a state of limbo. I triggered it on the physical sensation of me pushing off from Obito’s chest and I’ve managed to spread it to the rest of the room through that. They’re all witnessing the same movement, Obito shouting and preparing to run over to Ozai, I believe is his destination. Knowing what I know of him, he will be activating Kamui to whisk himself and the Fire Lord from his place and he can continue his march on Ba Sing Se.”

He turned aback to Sasuke and smiled softly. “Kamui will allow Obito to pull himself and whatever or whoever he pleases into a different dimension specific to the technique. He will then be able to extract himself and Ozai from that dimension a distance from here where they will be able to regroup. It’s also my understanding however, that he will be at his most vulnerable state while slipping between dimensions. I’m going to try and hitch a ride along without directly allowing myself to be pulled into his Kamui dimension. If I do this properly, I will be able to get inside his head for the briefest moment and pull free any useful memories or information that he’s hiding. There’s more to his aggression and choice to side with Ozai than just convenience.”

Sasuke looked from Obito’s face to his brother. “What will happen to you?”

Itachi rotated his shoulder slowly. “I’m not sure. I should be teleported, just not to the Kamui dimension; most likely to some random spot that Obito has some connection to in this world. With any luck, that will put me closer to the city than him and I can start making progress ahead of time.”

He looked back to Sasuke with a deeply serious expression on his face. “My goal is to get us all back to our world before irreparable damage is dealt to this world by our mere presence alone. From there, I can worry about who has used the Edo Tensei on me and other answers can be sought out.”

Sasuke could only stare at his brother. He didn’t want this; he didn’t want to keep pushing on towards getting home, wherever home might have been. Neither this world, nor the one he came from seemed that important anymore, as all he wanted was to go with Itachi and talk, talk for a long while about all the things he never said and didn’t know about. He had just been reunited with his brother and now he was supposedly having to leave it up to chance, again?

“I’m coming with you,” he finally said. There was so much more that he needed to say, and needed to hear.

“No,” Itachi intoned flatly. “You have a responsibility to the people you’ve traveled here with. This is as much their journey as ours, and our fates are mixed with theirs. You leave with me now to slip into the Kamui technique and you all but sentence them to death. They will not be able to hold off the approaching hordes of Fire Nation soldiers and attempting to assassinate the Fire Lord will surely be grounds for execution.”

 _I don’t care,_ Sasuke wanted to say, but even as the words echoed in his head, he knew they weren’t true. Looking back over the faces of his companions, he knew that he was already deep into the throes of connections with each and every one of them. He wanted them to survive and he wanted them to be safe.

Finally, he muttered, “There’s supposed to be a comet of some kind arriving tomorrow at some point, in the evening I think. It’s going to make firebenders much stronger than they are now and it’s why Ozai’s pushing to attack.”

Itachi nodded, “Then we’ll have to be swift in our actions.”

He looked towards Obito with a finality. “Wherever I wind up, it will be my intention to get to Ba Sing Se as fast as I can. Meet me there and we can hopefully protect this world and learn the secret to returning to our own in the process.”

Sasuke found he didn’t even want to acknowledge that this moment was even happening. He was about to lose his brother again, all because—

“Sasuke.”

He looked up at Itachi’s voice and saw his brother smiling at him. “Don’t be late.”

And in that moment, Sasuke heard the promise and the challenge being presented and found that once again, he had a goal. He had something to strive for. If he could make it to Ba Sing Se, he would reunite with his brother and together, they would be able to unravel his shrouded memory and unlock passage back to where they belonged. This striving settled in his heart and he cracked a smile back at his brother.

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

Itachi nodded and looked towards Obito. “This is going to happen quickly. Obito will run to Ozai and pull them both into his dimension, and I will make to slip in alongside them. I don’t know how long you have before the ship is overwhelmed and retaken, but you need to get off as fast as possible.”

Sasuke looked at the back of his brother’s head as Itachi offered a few last words. “It’s good to see you, Sasuke.”

Saying nothing in reply, but knowing that he didn’t need to, Sasuke simply watched and waited.

Rather like a wire being cut, things snapped back into motion with an extreme suddenness. As Obito exploded into motion, Sasuke watched as he raced to Ozai’s side and shattered the metal bonds that held him with a single blow. Obito turned back to give Sasuke and Itachi a single, hateful look before he pulled Ozai up; the Fire Lord shouted something that Sasuke didn’t catch but he took several steps to the wall near the shattered remains of the chart table and pulled a lever that Sasuke hadn’t noticed was there. Through the massive glass panes that surrounded the room, Sasuke watched a flaming bolt race up past and then fly outside the range of vision allowed by the windows.

The space around Obito and Ozai began to distort then, swirling in a strange pattern as though Sasuke were watching them be pulled into some strange funnel. Itachi moved then just as the swirling deformity of the space completely elapsed over the pair of them, moving with a speed that was just as fast as the blink of an eye. For a moment, Sasuke saw his brother just reaching Obito, before all three of them flickered and disappeared into thin air.

It took the sudden boom and rocking of the ship before Sasuke realized that more than one person was screaming his name.

He looked over to identify the first person he noticed; the real Sokka had raced up to him and was pulling him towards the others as the ship quaked again. “Sasuke, come on!! We have to go!!”

There was a tremendous weight still constricting Sasuke’s mental processes as the very presence of his brother continued to push him into a stunned state, but he still allowed himself to be pulled back to the rest of the group. Azula was the only one not nearby, running around the area where Ozai had been restrained, screaming incoherently and demanding to be told where he was.

Fortunately, no one seemed badly hurt, though Sasuke caught sight of Mai’s exposed skin and the burn that had been inflicted on it. Katara seemed to have done her best to treat the wound for the time being, but Sasuke still looked to Mai, asking, “Are you okay?”

For whatever reason, she looked away from him, her cheeks reddening as she nodded. Before Sasuke even had time to ponder yet another odd reaction from one of these women, Azula came up beside him seeming to have regained control of her faculties and pointing furiously at the window where Sasuke had seen the flare be fired up not moments ago.

“That was the _Azulon’s_ failsafe!! In the case that anything or anyone sensitive onboard was to be compromised, the ship was to be immediately assumed as hostile!!”

The now consistent thuds and shakes that were pounding at the ship suddenly made a good deal of sense.

“So, we’re being sunk then.” Sasuke muttered and Azula nodded briskly. It was a long moment before he realized that everyone was looking to him as if for direction.

“Well, let’s go then!” he snapped then and gestured back the way they had come.

Sasuke forced himself to focus on the task at hand. Were he by himself, it would have been all too easy to tap into his chakra to get him out of the ship within seconds, but Itachi had been right. He would see everyone safely from this place, this situation that he himself had forced them into.

He found himself running alongside Aang as they jogged their way upwards from the ship’s depths and Sasuke couldn’t help but remark, “For all that worrying, it didn’t look like the Fire Lord was that big of an issue for you to deal with.”

Aang, who’s expression had been tight with fear and shock since they had burst into Ozai’s chambers, gave Sasuke a sideways glance and seemed to give a hopeful smile.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without everyone else.”

This reply caught Sasuke off guard and he fell silent as the implications made their way through his mind. Aang had won his fight, with the help of his allies. Sasuke couldn’t help but realize that at the same time, he hadn’t won his.

_That’s stupid. They wouldn’t have been able to so much as touch him. I didn’t need any help, it Itachi hadn’t shown up, I could have beaten him, I could have beaten him easily…_

A wrench was thrown in his mental wheedling as there was suddenly a much larger booming sound, much louder than any of the previous and the ship listed hard to the left. Sasuke grunted as he was thrown into the wall and he looked up to catch Mai just before she would have had her head collide with some pipes that had been loosed likely on their way down. For a moment, he looked at her and he back at him before she pushed herself off his chest and cleared her throat. Sasuke looked to see Zuko looking away as he balanced himself, though he wasn’t sure if the prince had seen anything.

There was no time to dwell on it however, for just as they all got to their feet, with Suki asking, “Everyone alright?”, the floor behind them came apart with a horrible wrenching of metal that screeched against Sasuke’s ears. He looked back in time to grab a wobbling Toph by the arm and pull her free of the chasm in the ship that had opened up but as he tugged her to safety, he watched Katara’s face light up in surprise before she toppled backwards into the metal hole that had split down the ship. Sokka and Aang both cried out, but as the latter made to run past Sasuke to the pit that had suddenly appeared, Sasuke grabbed his shoulder and shoved him back towards the rest of the group.

He urged Mai and Toph in the same direction before meeting Aang’s frightened and offended gaze.

“Go on, I’ll get her!!”

The Avatar stared back at him in something that might have been disbelief and Sasuke realized that everyone was looking at him with a similar look. He supposed the idea might have seemed ludicrous, him saving the woman who had tried her damnedest to kill him only a night ago, but as another harrowing moan sounded within the ship’s depths, he knew this was not the time to get caught up in this.

He finally looked to Sokka and worked an attempt to impose a plan, one that would hopefully get them moving as the world seemed to be collapsing around them.

“Get everyone off the ship, and get to the shore as quick as you can. Take off on Appa, and we’ll find you once we’re free of this mess.”

“How do we find you?” Toph cried out in a voice bordering on panic and Sasuke found himself unsure of how best to respond. As he wracked his brains for a solution, Azula stepped towards him, close enough that he imagined he was the only one able to hear her voice over the ship quaking and coming apart.

“I’m not leaving you. Not unless I know I can find you again.”

Her words triggered a thought into Sasuke’s mind and he snapped his head up and looked at her.

“Pull your collar down over your shoulder.”

She stared at him in bemusement before he barked, “Now!!”

Not replying, Azula reached up and pulled at the collar of her robes to slide it down her right shoulder. She paused and made to continue pulling it down towards her breast until Sasuke snapped, “That’s enough.”

She looked almost disappointed as he snapped off a great many hand signs and reached out to touch the skin just above her right breast. Sasuke did his best to ignore how she quivered as he did and let out a long breath through her mouth as he drew invisible lines. When he pulled away, a symbol the size of a hand palm was left there, swimming to life with a dark coloration, looking almost like an intricate birthmark. As Azula stared down at it and the others looked on, Sasuke looked up to address them all.

“That mark will begin to burn when you are close to me. It won’t take into effect for probably about fifteen minutes. But when you’re aboard Appa, you can follow it, and you’ll find me.”

Azula slowly reached up to touch the mark. “A map… to you.”

Sasuke nodded admittedly. “Yes, of sorts.”

The look on her face was of pure ardor then and he looked away uncomfortably as the ship rocked yet again. Knowing they were deeply out of time, he swiped with a hand to annunciate his last command.

“Go, now!!” he bellowed and one by one, they backed off and ran back towards the ship’s deck, Azula looking still starstruck, Mai and Toph looking back several times with worry etched on their faces, and the others with grimaces of their own rooted in concern and fear. Aang and Sokka were the last in line; Aang gave Sasuke a last pained look before gritting his teeth and taking off. As Suki took his wrist and pulled him along, Sokka managed to shout out, “You bring my sister back, Sasuke!!”

And they were all gone, disappearing up the snaking corridor’s of the _Azulon’s_ interior. Sasuke looked back to the pit Katara had fallen into and spared a moment to chuckle that this was the person he was going to try and save.

 _Stranger things have happened,_ he supposed, and leapt into the ship’s depths.

* * *

Toph felt her heart hammering its way nearly completely out of her chest. She was distantly aware of them running onto what must have been a flaming deck as the ship listed even further, and she heard Sokka yelling to his father and his men. She felt her hand taken by Ty Lee and jogged along as she was led to the ship’s edge. She obediently tore a piece of metal from the ship’s side and dropped it into the water where Aang suspended it with water bending to keep it from sinking and they all boarded it while Hakoda and his men ran to the other side of the ship, utilizing their waterbending that was spread amongst them to escape.

Toph felt them move through the water under the night air and heard the booming of cannons grow fainter and fainter. The massive weight of the _Azulon_ fell away behind her and she tucked her legs against her chest as they moved away.

Because she was waiting. She knew what was coming and she was counting down every second to what was about to happen. Every second was another miracle granted to Sasuke and Katara, two people she couldn’t believe that she had left behind, that any of them had left behind. But she had let herself be led away, she had left them behind.

Because what she could feel that none of them could feel was a pressure, a deep, immense force that was building in the ship’s depths. She knew what it was building towards and she supposed everyone else had a fair idea too what was coming; that must have been why as they cruised out to open sea towards the cliffside, no one spoke a word. Everyone was waiting and listening.

It came sooner than Toph would have hoped; there seemed to be a great silence for a moment before a massive, deafening explosion thundered its way out over the waves. She cried out but couldn’t hear herself as she put her hands to her ears. She leaned into Ty Lee as the girl put an arm around her as a current of severe heat struck them and sent them even further out to sea with its pure force. Then, silence came as the ship’s that had been firing on the _Azulon_ no doubt ceased their attacks and watched as the flagship’s wreck began to disappear beneath the waves.

“They’ll be fine,” Sokka said, his voice hollow and quivering. Toph felt Suki move nearer to him and draw close as his words fell with little impact on any of them. It was all they could do to hope. It was all they could do to wait.


	19. Chapter 19

** Chapter 19: Dawn **

Katara awoke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest as she had just enough wherewithal to keep herself from crying out. It must have been quite the nightmare she was having, but she couldn’t remember a single piece of it, other than that it had been enough to shake her from what had been fitful sleep indeed. All she could remember were feelings, feelings of fear, panic, and all-consuming anger. But without memories to place them against, they were as useless as any emotion could be and she let them pass as best she could, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

After a few moments, she took stock of her present situation. She seemed to be lying underneath a crag of some kind, a short cave ingrown into the earth that started at about ten feet up at the entrance and shortened as one might have drawn deeper, about twenty feet in where the ceiling met the ground. Katara was nearer to the back, draped in what appeared to be a Fire Nation banner, which she almost wanted to push off herself immediately for being saddled with a symbol of the enemy, before she realized two things: first, that it was keeping her quite warm and second, that beneath it, she was naked.

Swallowing as she sat up slowly, clutching the cloth to her chest, she saw a figure sitting at the entrance to the cave, leaning against the side of it with his eyes closed. Recognizing in an instant who it was, Katara was surprised when the first thoughts that entered her mind were not of indignation or anger.

“Sasuke?”

Her voice echoed slightly against the walls of the small cave and Sasuke opened his eyes and moved them to her as his only response. He looked away then, gazing out towards what Katara realized was a sky just barely still black.

“I had to take your clothes off and dry them,” he said, gesturing to a fire that was burning just beside him and which above hung her garments. “The ocean was very cold and I knew you might fall ill if I kept you in them. I snatched that banner from a small encampment near the shore, hopefully it’s doing the trick.”

Not at all pleased that she was in such a revealing way in front of Sasuke of all people but also able to recognize the care he had taken in aiding her, Katara very slowly inclined her chin.

“Thank you,” she said, hoping that would suffice. Part of her wanted to snap at him for daring to strip her, but nothing good would come of such hurled anger.

“It’s been about six hours since the _Azulon_ exploded, and you’ve been out all the while. I moved us up to this cave about two kilometers down the cliff from where we first arrived. Aang and the others should all have gotten away safely and I gave them means to find us.”

Slowly putting a hand to her head, Katara realized as she touched what was a significant bump that she didn’t remember much of what had happened just before she must have been knocked unconscious.

“What happened?” she asked bluntly, trusting Sasuke not to mince words.

He didn’t. “When the Fire Nation turned the rest of its ships on the _Azulon_ , the ship must have taken enough hits to its lower hull to start to split apart. It started to open up on the inside while we were running out and you fell into its belly in the process. I ordered everyone else to leave while I got you, but I wasn’t able to get out the same way when I found you down there; water was already coming in quickly and I wasn’t sure how well I would be able to climb you out after how far down you’d fallen. I cut a hole in the hull with Amaterasu and swam us out and managed to get us relatively far away before the ship blew. From there, I got you on the beach.”

Sasuke looked a little uncomfortable then as he scratched the back of his head, “I had to resuscitate you as well.”

The fact that this detail had given him pause caused Katara to almost involuntarily bring a hand up to her lips.

_Did he…?_

Sasuke didn’t seem willing to dwell on it or elaborate and continued briskly, “When I was sure you were breathing, I ran us as deep inland as I could until I found a good place where we wouldn’t be spotted by their landfall camps. And we’ve been here since, waiting.”

He looked up at the sky. “I activated the sign pretty recently, it shouldn’t take them long to find us.”

Katara didn’t know exactly what Sasuke meant when he indicated that the others would be finding them soon, and she didn’t care to badly to know just how this would be achieved. It was a relief enough to know that they were all likely safe and making to regroup. The hit to her head must have been from some of the ship’s interior as she had fallen and would explain her lapses in memory, though as she thought to it, she realized she remembered just about everything that had happened in Ozai’s chamber.

“Lucky we got there when we did. Ozai looked just about ready to remove Aang from his perfect picture of the world once and for all.” She kept her voice as level as she could, but she made every effort to let just enough accusatory annunciation guide what she said.

The corner of Sasuke’s mouth turned upward without a hint of humor. “You ready for your speech? May as well air it out now, while we have the time.”

His dismissal of her veiled suggestion sent a plume of frustration spouting upwards from Katara’s insides and she felt her mouth pull in a snarl.

“Even after what happened, you’re still going to act like this was some kind of good idea? Because it wasn’t just us who were in a great deal of danger, you were just as at risk for nearly getting taken down and you know what I think? I think you know that.”

Sasuke made a noise that sounded as though it had every intention to downplay her words. “None of you ever had to come along. I’m not going to sit here and listen to you tell me its my fault that you jumped up little heroes threw yourselves into harm’s way just because of some stupid prophecy, or whatever.”

Katara didn’t want to shout, but here he was, finding everyway to get under her skin again. Still, she kept her voice no higher than slightly raised.

“That’s not what this is about, Sasuke.”

He raised an eyebrow and flicked a glance back at her. “Oh? Enlighten me.”

Doing her best to ignore his deeply frustrating attitude, Katara said, “You’re self-destructive. You’ve replaced the memories you don’t have with a drive to rush forward into danger, no matter what the potential consequences might be. You don’t care about getting hurt, it’s like… it’s like you’re rushing to die.”

Within the well of emotions that were boiling inside her, Katara realized that there was a lot more than just anger there.

“No one wants to see that. You can find what you’re looking for, but you don’t have to kill yourself to do it. We care about you, you know.”

Sasuke slowly turned then and stared her down. When he spoke, his voice was in a low octave that stung of malice, but also of a great degree of desolation. His voice echoed of that same hurt, though Katara could tell he was trying to hide it.

“Last night, you tried kill me. You tried to _kill_ me, Katara. How the hell am I supposed to believe you give the smallest shit what happens to me?”

At his words, Katara realized just how confused her own were.

_Do I care about him?_

Yes, she realized. She did. Looking down, she tried her best to put her feelings to words.

“I tried to kill you because I was afraid of what you might do. The danger you posed and the consequences you could bring to our whole world. I tried to kill you because I was scared. But… but you proved me wrong. I guess you’ve been proving me wrong all this time.”

Watching her for a moment, Sasuke looked away from her, asking quietly, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Katara bundled herself deeper in the cloth of the banner, feeling more naked just talking than she would have if she had stood up and thrown it off her body.

“You had every reason to kill me after what I did. You had every right to snuff me out for trying to… well, assassinate you. But you didn’t. You didn’t even really get angry. I didn’t know what to think after that. It went against everything I thought about you, all the resentment and hate I harbored was matched by the one action you took in not killing me in turn for trying to kill you.”

She rubbed her arm and closed her eyes, thinking back to the night that now felt like years in the past. It had been so unnerving to feel so… lost. Katara hadn’t known what to do after her and Zuko had failed spectacularly in taking down Sasuke, and he had barely so much as had anything to say after the fact. It would have been so easy for him to take her out then and there, but she hadn’t died. She was still here.

Then, Mai had come to talk to her when she had been contemplating just how twisted these events had become. Mai had told her to go look at Sasuke and Toph and she had done so. They had both been lying there, so peacefully, so truly serene that she had wound up falling to her knees in the sand and had then shaken with silent sobs. It hurt her to know what she did and to feel how she did. To be wrong and know it was a damnable thing indeed.

But there had been even more to come.

She had denied her feelings from that point onward, all the way through the next day and night as they swarmed down to Ozai’s fleet. Even when she had fallen into the ship’s depths and blacked out, the pure rejection of what she had been shown was still strong.

But here Katara was now, and only because Sasuke had saved her.

She had tried to kill him and he had saved her.

There was so much she wanted to say, but her emotions couldn’t be wrapped into words. It still all hurt much too greatly to really rationalize what she was feeling into a medium as hopelessly underwhelming as words.

Katara instead decided to move their conversation onto something else as Sasuke resolutely said nothing in reply to her.

“Your brother.”

It was all she could think to say as the sheer ramifications of just those two words lay heavy on the air. She watched Sasuke carefully for his reaction, but his stoic and calm expression was unfazed when she spoke. Seconds ticked by before she followed on with a question.

“Did you know he was pretending to be Sokka?”

He seemed to grow suddenly very hostile and looked at her with fierce eyes and a matching snarl, “What kind of question is that?”

At his aggression, Katara felt her own anger rising up and she furrowed her brow at him. “I’m just asking if you knew that he was among us.”

Sasuke seemed to catch himself then and his angry expression faded so quickly that it might nearly have been something she imagined. He looked back out into the night, his face lit gently by the orange glow of the fire burning near his feet.

“No, I didn’t. Sokka was acting strangely the past couple days, I supposed I noticed that. He wasn’t being his usual loud self, he wasn’t paying much attention to Suki, or anyone else for that matter. But there is… I never would have guessed…”

His hands tightened into fists and Katara realized she had never felt quite level of distress emanating from him. It wasn’t as though he was emoting like Azula might, or shaking and growling like Zuko had done in the past, but Katara’s senses all told her that Sasuke was in a deep amount of pain. He had taken her from the bowls of the ship, saved her life, and pulled her a great distance before likely being stuck with nothing but his own thoughts for hours upon hours, surely tearing himself to pieces with confusion and heartache.

It was only then that Katara realized she hadn’t once thought to hate him since she had awoken.

“We were all preoccupied,” she said finally. “Us with Ozai and Aang’s training, and you, with your…”

She found herself trailing off as she wasn’t sure just what to say. But she saw the corners of Sasuke’s mouth pulling in what was surely irritation at an implication she hadn’t meant to air; she shook her head.

“I didn’t mean to say… Sasuke, that’s not what I—”

“What do you want, Katara?” he asked in a low flat tone then, cutting her neatly off. “What do you want to hear from me? That I was wrong?”

She could only continue to shake her head as he stood up and leaned his shoulder against the side of the cave, staring out into the night.

“I know how badly you wanted to hear this. To know that you were right, and that I was nothing more than a hotheaded screwup who put all of you in danger.”

Katara knew she would have been lying to herself if she was to say that knowing she had beaten Sasuke on a level such as that would have indeed given her some level of satisfaction. There was still a deep resentment for the strain and danger he had imposed on all of them, purely by consequence of—

“Well, fine!! You were right!!” he suddenly shouted and Katara jumped, nearly dropping her makeshift cover. Sasuke glared at her with fierce eyes before looking back out into the dark, his voice still raised.

“I chased something that I thought would give me clarity, because I didn’t know what else to do! All I wanted was answers, and I never even thought of what might happen if I got them! You all were hurt, because of me! You were put in danger because of me, you could have died because of me!”

He cooled down again swiftly and then waved his hand at her expectantly as he turned away. “So, go on. Rag on me, get mad, curse me for a fool, whatever.”

As Katara watched him stew, she wanted to. She wanted to be angry with him and feel some satisfaction at just how distraught Sasuke was. It should have been tremendously gratifying to finally see him humbled, no longer so bullheaded in how confident he had been. He was hurting, and it should have made her very happy.

But as she wrapped her arms around herself, she realized that all she felt was turmoil.

Minutes passed as she had nothing to say to him. Katara tried, desperately, to pull up some remaining hate and anger that should have been deep in its residual with the ire that had been so rooted in her gut since their first encounter. She thought about mocking him, insulting him or snapping at him. It would have been so easy, there was so much to say in that regard. But no sentences would form in her head and there was nothing she could do to try and summon one.

Eventually, she slowly stood, clinging the banner tightly to her body. Her bare feet cold on the moist, wet floor of the cave, she walked gently to stand just behind Sasuke’s slumped form. Even with his hunched stance, he was still a little taller than she was, his black hair blending with the dark of the night outside, save for the bit of it under the light of his fire. Despite her state, she didn’t find herself remotely perturbed or worried about it and before she even knew what she was doing, she put a hand on his shoulder, feeling him tense at her touch.

Immediately, she felt a knee-jerk reaction as she felt that this was him and not one of his water clones; the moisture within the cave and in the air would prove more than enough to drive a spike of water into his throat just then. She could finish what she had been unable to do back on the beach, and snuff out this threat once and for all. It could finally be over and then it would just be as it should have been, Aang and everyone against the odds, no more erroneous factors amongst their number to throw a wrench into things. Katara could finally make things right.

But she didn’t make any move against him. She barely even considered it.

Because the words were finally there.

“I’m sorry.”

The words didn’t even quite register as hers until Sasuke turned his head ever so slightly and she could see the perplexity written on his face.

“Why?” he grunted finally.

Katara swallowed, “I’m sorry for treating like less because you were more. I’m sorry for not even trying to understand you and treating you like nothing because of it.”

There was a long moment where she waited for him to laugh off what must have sounded like an impossible apology, and Katara was having difficulty she had even just said it herself. But he seemed to have nothing to say, and she decided to add something in an attempt at levity.

“And I’m sorry that you’ve had to deal with the brunt of what may very well be Azula’s first crush.”

He nodded slowly at that and let a short laugh out through his nose. Katara dared a small smile at his slight relaxing.

“Yeah, not sure what I did to deserve that,” he remarked. There was another pause before he gave his head the slightest shake.

“You don’t need to apologize to me, Katara. Not ever. Not after what I’ve done.”

Katara closed her eyes as she felt the furious heat of all her qualms with Sasuke rise up within her. Part of her wanted to acknowledge what he said as true; here it was, him condoning her hatred for him, but she just couldn’t accept that awful, corrosive feeling anymore. She could let her fury guide her, or she could let it go.

When she thought to how badly it hurt to hate with such a passion, the decision became easy.

“Maybe I don’t need to. But I think I want to.”

Sasuke didn’t seem to know how reply to this for a moment, before he remarked, “I think of everything that’s happened tonight, that might be the single most unbelievable one.”

Just hearing him even so much as make an attempt at humor was enough for Katara’s smile to widen slightly, but as another matter entered her mind, she decided to air it out given the fact that they were alone together. Perhaps it wasn’t the best time, but as long as they were going to have this moment to share, she could think of no better moment.

“I was wrong to judge you so harshly, Sasuke, but for all the things I was wrong about, you have to be careful with Toph.”

She felt a wave of exasperation as he asked, “What about?”

“Don’t give me that,” she said sternly, pulling her hand from him and moving to stand alongside him. “Most of us have picked up on the fact that next to Azula, she’s been the other one pining for you to notice her. She’s usually so blunt, but admitting your attraction to someone you like… even for her, that has to be hard.”

“Azula hasn’t seemed to have had that kind of trouble,” Sasuke remarked and Katara shook her head.

“That’s because that girl is as emotionally stunted as… well, as the daughter of a homicidal tyrant. But Toph is a very different story.”

“I know,” Sasuke murmured and she looked at him carefully.

“I don’t want to see her heart broken,” Katara said with a sigh after a moment of watching closely, “She’s still young, and she’s more emotional than she lets on. If I asked her about it, or any of us did, she’d push us away in an instant, because she’s prideful too. Just… be careful with her when you have to say no.”

Sasuke lifted his head and looked skyward. “Who says I’m saying no?”

The very possibility of what he said shook Katara to her core for several reasons. Firstly, she realized that if Sasuke were to accept Toph’s advances, she really didn’t know if that would be in either of their best interests. She also didn’t even want to think about how Azula might react and she hadn’t even mentioned the tension she had noticed between him and Mai.

The most unsettling point was that Katara realized there was another person in the mix she wasn’t willing to even consider. She didn’t want to consider it and the very idea was enough to raise the hairs on her arms.

_It could never work._

All of this flashed through her mind in a matter of seconds and she managed to offer a defusing remark in response to Sasuke’s perhaps taunting ambiguity, “I suppose we’ll just let time tell.”

She could still sense something akin to discontent regarding the matter on his face and after a long minute, he muttered, “Katara, there’s something I need to tell you…”

Just then, there came a great rush overhead and a massive black shape passed above them; Katara jumped back before her common sense and memory overpowered her instinct and told her that this was only Appa, arriving quite suddenly. Sasuke watched the form of the flying bison slide neatly through the air and settle down on the expansive desert that stretched out before them a few dozen yards away. Katara waited with bated breath, waiting to hear what he had been about to say.

She found herself hoping that what she thought was on the tip of his tongue was about to be said.

But with a sigh, he simply kicked out the fire and let the light of the stars illuminate them.

“You should probably get dressed. I don’t need Aang punching me too.”

* * *

Azula massaged the mark that Sasuke had left on her skin not for the first time. Knowing it was there, knowing it was leading her to him was one thing, but being able to touch it and know that he had touched her there… it was something else entirely.

They had been hiding out near the cliffside for several hours before Azula had felt a burning come from the mark and informed the rest. The group, who had been very nearly silent since escaping, boarded Appa with a desperate speed, all likely for different reasons as they flew off inland. Azula guided them as best she was able based on the intensity of the burning coming from the symbol on her and at last, as they flew just over a small fire that had been glowing as just a dot from high above, Azula felt her heart skip a beat.

_He’s alive._

She had known that he had been of course, Sasuke would not have been taken from her with such ease. He had surely gone to save Katara as a show of courage and guts, something she could respect, and she only found herself more attracted to him for it. Sasuke had seen how she had been able to defeat her father and he had no doubt felt that he needed to make an example of his own dedication the their cause. It surely had been easy for him to save Katara, but it was the devotion he showed that made Azula’s heart swell; if he had been willing to do that for a person who so despised him, what might he do for her if given the chance?

As they had been flying, Azula had not been oblivious to the looks that Mai and Toph had been throwing her. It had done her heart much joy to imagine the envy that they were surely feeling. Sasuke had chosen her, not either of them to bear the mark that would lead them to reuniting. Just that mere fact was enough to make Azula’s stomach almost sick with passion and the mere thought of Toph or Mai fuming over the fact that she had one upped them in this instance was just the icing on top. Perhaps this would convince them to not so much as go near him, perhaps this would be what could make them realize their own defeat.

They touched down and not a moment after the flying beast had settled on the sand below did Azula leap from its back and come out of her fall into a roll, looking up for Sasuke eagerly. The fire had been doused and now under the stars, she could see his frame clearly, his stern expression and infallible poise. Azula wanted nothing more than to rush to him and leap into his arms; he would surely be bothered by such a show of affection and maybe he would grab her by the throat again. Maybe he would throw her against the wall of the cave he was situated in front of, or perhaps he would even—

As Azula caught sight of Katara and more importantly, what Katara was doing, her mental processes froze up and she stopped moving forward, and simply stared. She blinked to make sure she wasn’t imagining it and then stared some more. But what she had seen hadn’t been some kind of trick of the light or of the eye.

Katara had been putting her clothes back on. Clothes that would first had to have been removed before they could be used to redress.

Azula felt a very turbulent heat blistering its way out of her heart and through the rest of her body as she stood and stared, still as a rod.

Sokka brushed by her, racing up to his sister who ran out to greet him and they embraced tightly.

“Of all the people I would have thought I needed to tell to watch their step, you were the last one, sis,” he said, his voice joyous at this reunion.

Katara massasged the back of her head sheepishly, “One of the few times having such a hard head saved my life, you would have been proud, Sokka.”

“Heeeeey, what’s that supposed to—”

He didn’t get to finish his playfully indignant remark before the Avatar joined in the moment, running up and wrapping Katara in a hug of his own.

 _Kiss him,_ Azula thought with a savage desperation, but when they broke apart, there was no such luck to be had.

“I thought you were a goner for sure,” Aang said, his voice deep with emotion. Katara reached out and rubbed the top of his head in an act that seemed more motherly than anything, further exacerbating the knot in Azula’s stomach.

The next person to pass her was Toph who, to the even greater dissatisfaction of Azula, walked up to Sasuke instead of Katara, leaving him no longer alone standing behind the others. He looked down at her as she stood quietly in front of him for a couple seconds before she drew back and hit him just above the waist. He grimaced but made no indication that it had been that hard a hit and Azula barely was able to keep herself from disintegrating that rotten little earthbender on the spot.

“I wish you’d stop doing stuff like that,” Toph muttered then and stepped forward to rest her head against him and wrap him in a hug.

It was all Azula could do to keep herself breathing regularly as Suki walked past her to stand by Sokka’s side and Zuko, Ty Lee and Mai walked up beside her, but not far enough to join the reunion. The lines that were still drawn in the dirt were apparent as none of the Fire Nation individuals felt comfortable joining in this moment of relief and happiness. But after a moment, Mai called out towards Sasuke.

“You going to tell us how you managed to not get killed by a warship exploding?”

In the semi-darkness, it was hard to tell exact facial expressions, but Azula was almost completely sure that she saw a smile briefly settle over Sasuke’s face.

“Where would be the fun in that?” he replied and Mai cracked a smile back at him.

 _Stop it,_ Azula thought. _Stop looking at each other like that._

She wanted very badly then to group Mai, Katara and Toph together in one huddled mass of interfering obstacles as they were and scorch them from the face of the earth. It would no doubt help return some clarity to her world without all these other women trying to thieve Sasuke away from her. It was starting to wear on her, just how much they were trying to interfere and inject their despicable selves into what was entirely her domain. Couldn’t they see that he belonged to her?

Azula tuned back in as Zuko’s words regarding their current state of affairs broke up the reunion. “We really need to get moving. I don’t know just when, but when Sozin’s Comet arrives, we need to be ready for him to bring the fight to us. He’ll make straight for Ba Sing Se, and if he manages to take the city again, nothing will keep him from taking the continent.”

“Then we’d better get moving,” Sokka said with an air of obnoxious bravado as was a return to form. He walked over to Appa and put a hand on the great beast’s head as the flying lemur buzzed by his head to land on Katara’s shoulder where she affectionately scratched behind its ears.

“How about it buddy?” Sokka asked. “Ready for one last big trip?”

Appa made a loud grunting noise that caused Azula to scrunch up her face, but supposedly, the rest had somehow understood the sound to be an affirmative and they worked their way back to board the saddle once again. Azula avoided Katara’s eyes as she walked by with Aang and Suki in tow; the princess couldn’t help but notice the awkward greeting Katara was given by Zuko which she returned with a one-armed hug. Mai’s expression was both angry and pained at once, and Azula watched her friend continuing to flick glances at Sasuke who was giving the cave one last look over, surely to make sure nothing was amiss. It was then that Azula realized the opportunity before her and she snatched it without a second’s hesitation.

When she neared him, she knew they were far enough away that she could talk without being overheard. Still, it was Sasuke who spoke first, his back still to her as he bent low, leaning into the cave with a ball of fire in his hand acting as a light.

“I can take that off of you now, if you’d like.”

Azula’s heart suddenly drove its pounding to near painful levels as her eyes widened. She felt a shiver run down her spine and felt her whole body grow numb at his words. Sasuke turned to look at her then and, seeing her face, nodding towards her shoulder.

“The mark, I mean.”

This having been clarified, Azula’s heart sank then as what had briefly flashed through her mind faded away. Of course, he hadn’t been talking about that, he was too preoccupied on other matters. The time would come when she would be able to claim him in that way too, but for now, she would have to be patient.

Still, she moved a hand to massage the area just above her breast and shook her head. “What happens if I… just want to keep it there?”

He seemed perturbed but answered her, “I suppose it would stay there forever. Since I activated the seal and we found each other as a result, it can’t and won’t really do much. Might get a little hot in certain cases, maybe if you’re stressed or if I’m gone for a long time and then get near you again, it might act up. Easier to just remove it, no side effects that way.”

Azula shook her head again. “No, I’d like to keep it.”

She waited for him to argue the point, but he just watched her a moment longer through distantly concerned eyes before shrugging, “Suit yourself.”

Sasuke walked past her and as he did, she grabbed his wrist. This was her last chance to talk to him before they would all be forced back into close proximity with the others again, slaves to the constricting chains that were the company of others.

“What?” Sasuke asked, and Azula looked into his black eyes, feeling a rush of emotion.

Part of her just wanted to take him away with her, to leave these fools behind and let them and the Earth and Water Nations destroy themselves against her father’s forces. Perhaps they would all destroy one another and the world would be left to her and Sasuke. But he would never agree to that; he had to be there in the thick of it, making the decisions that weaker men would turn away from.

Azula moved her hand from his wrist down to his hand, running her palm against the edges of his fingers. She remembered how he had grabbed her at the camp, how his hand had taken her by the neck and how excited it had made her. She thought of just what she could do to make him force her like that again.

“I just want to know if you’re alright.”

Words of concern were a difficult and foreign territory to her, but for Sasuke, they came as easily as anything could. Azula knew that Sasuke had been forced into an encounter with a brother she, as well as he, had believed dead. She had even mocked him for it during the most confusing point in her relationship with him. There was surely no small amount of distress emanating from him, but he would never show it. But he had to know that she was here for him. If there was pain he needed to let out, she would hear it. If there was anger to be flung, she would face it. If he needed violence as a way to cope with his own pain, she would take it. And if he needed the touch of something more intimate to help his stress abate, Azula would surrender it.

Oh, how badly she wanted to surrender it.

Sasuke looked at her carefully for a good few seconds, long enough for her to get lost in his eyes. Then, he grunted, “I’m fine, thanks.”

Azula should have known. In a moment as exposed as this, he wouldn’t dare open up with everyone just a ways behind him. She would have to wait until the time was right, when they could truly be alone. It was a moment she was desperate for, but she found she could be patient.

For Sasuke, she could be anything.

As they walked back towards Appa, she came up close against his side and slipped her fingers to intertwine with his.

Her heart soared when he did not pull away.

* * *

The trip to Ba Sing Se was relatively uneventful. Despite Aang’s urging, Appa hadn’t been particularly inclined to move much faster than he had before and with time nearly up and dawn fast approaching, knowledge of the fact that Ozai was surely moving his forces in their direction some distance behind them was eating at everyone’s nerves. Azula and Sokka had nearly gotten into a full blown shouting match about it with insults like “spoiled royalty” and “stupid animal” flung about before Sasuke had stood up and walked to the rear of the saddle.

“I don’t know if this will work,” he had said, but within seconds of him making several hand signs, Appa gave a great grunt of surprise as they rocketed forward, knocking nearly everyone over onto their sides at the sudden acceleration. As Sasuke had sat back down, he had explained he had created a self-recycling current of air just behind and beneath their transport. It would help him move faster and keep him from wearing himself out.

It had been hours since then and Mai could see the palest hints of a lighter blue hugging the crest of the horizon. Dawn was coming, then day, then Sozin’s Comet. It had been unanimously agreed to travel to the city, but Mai knew she wasn’t the only person who realized that Sasuke, always the person to want to do things his way for his reasons, had only offered a nod as they had taken to the skies. Everyone other than him knew that meeting the Fire Lord at the Earth Nation’s greatest city was the only true way forward, but why was Sasuke so content with coming?

Mai supposed she had a pretty good hunch. Back in Ozai’s chambers aboard the _Azulon_ , something had happened. There had been a moment where the world had seemed to skip, just for a moment, almost as though it was pulling back time for some reason or another. Within it, there had been a moment, just a split second where she thought she had seen Sasuke and his brother embracing and talking. But it was almost as though it was a piece of a dream it was such a distant thought. For then, the world had continued and the man known as Obito had taken Ozai and somehow managed to escape.

Something had happened between the three of them or at the very least, between Sasuke and his brother. It brought a chill to Mai’s spine as she considered the fact that there were more of them than just Sasuke. They had multiplied into three of these intensely powerful beings and she feared for her world.

But as they cruised swiftly through the sky, growing closer and closer to their destination, she couldn’t help but feel hope. Because if anything had been proven to her in recent days, it was that Sasuke, while unpredictable and deadly, had a heart. He would roll his eyes at such a thought no doubt, but Mai had seen it, showing itself in ways small and large. From saving the life of a person who had attempted to kill him just a day ago to allowing a lovestruck girl to hold him while she slept. There was a good soul in him, even if for whatever reason, he just wanted to hide it.

Mai knew though as sky’s black began to fade into a deep indigo that she was surely not the only one flicking glances at Sasuke and trying to muster up the courage to ask about the startling revelation that was his brother. For whatever the discovery was doing to him mentally, he was doing his usual Sasuke stint of maintaining a calm and indifferent expression, even though Mai was certain his mind was going wild with who knew just what.

She glanced around at her fellow passengers, rather hoping someone would take the leap and broach the subject that wasn’t her, but if anyone was as interested as she was, they were just as unwilling. Azula was sitting on Sasuke’s right, looking terribly smug as though she were privy to a secret no one else was, but the expressions of the other passengers ranged from focused to sullen. Mai was about to try and come to terms with the fact that she was going to have no such luck in prying when Toph spoke quietly over the wind whistling around them.

“I didn’t know you had a brother,” she murmured from where she sat cross legged, holding her feet and rocking nervously. With how quickly the majority of them turned their attention to Sasuke then, it was clear to Mai that she had accurately predicted how much this topic of conversation had interested the group.

Sasuke was looking skyward and didn’t reply immediately which prompted Toph to turn her head down, looking sheepish.

“Sorry,” she said quickly and Sasuke slowly looked down to her before smiling gently and reaching out. Toph jumped as he pressed his pointer and middle finger against her forehead. It was a strange gesture but one that clearly was meant in affection, as was apparent from the flush of Toph’s cheeks and the smug look being wiped from Azula’s face.

“Don’t be. Fair a question as any,” he said.

And without any further prompting, Sasuke told the story of himself and his brother. Itachi, who seemed to be the catalyst for Sasuke being the way he was and who was somehow alive and worlds apart from where he belonged. A half hour later, Mai was doing her best to keep tears from her eyes and she saw Ty Lee and, humorously enough, Sokka having less success than her.

“…but even after all that, Itachi is alive, by means of a jutsu I don’t quite understand. After we spoke on the _Azulon,_ he went to try and probe after Obito and told me to meet him at Ba Sing Se.”

Aang nodded, his face reverent. “So that’s why you’re completely on board with going to the city.”

Sasuke matched his nod, his eyes glazed over.

“But my brother is alive. After everything that I thought was lost, I still have a chance to make things right. I _will_ make things right.”

His voice dipped down then into a lower register as Mai heard the telltale tone that accompanied his more aggressive and darker shift in personality. But his expression was one of nothing more than focus and Mai could tell that whatever the circumstances, he was happy that there was another goal for him to strive for. He looked more alive than she had ever seen him, and she was surprised to find her heart swelling at just the sight.

_He’s more than just rage._

Sasuke looked at his hands, rubbing one thumb against the other. He was quiet for a time before he said, “So… this comet that’s coming.”

He looked up to Zuko who looked startled at being addressed. Mai wanted to take his hand, but knew that he would pull away; they still hadn’t had a chance to talk, and he was still likely deeply hurt and probably jealous. Mai tried to tell herself that was all there was to this, not that there was some deeply conflicting emotions in her own heart that had kept her from trying too badly to try and reconcile.

“What exactly is it going to allow for?” Sasuke was asking him. Zuko sighed.

“Firebenders have always been more powerful in the day. Not just exclusively benders, but people from our nation… something about the sun heightens our abilities, and our powers. It’s not just our powers though, we… we _feel_ stronger in the sun. At night, it’s a different story.”

He gestured to Katara. “You saw how powerful she was able to become under a full moon. Under a bright sun on a hot day, that’s the sort of boost we get.”

Zuko clearly wasn’t trying to instigate anything with Katara, but Mai still saw the streak of shame and anger that passed over the waterbender’s face at his remark.

“Sozin’s Comet, supposedly, is going to take things to another level with our powers. Amplification of firebending like nothing that’s been seen in near a hundred years. With this power available to him, my father will be able to fry everything within Ba Sing Se, like me shooting fire into a bowl.”

He finished with that, the visual he presented being more than sufficient in highlighting just what this could mean for the war between nations. Mai was surprised when Ty Lee spoke up then, her eyes wide and sad, looking at Sasuke with restrained curiosity.

“Sasuke… I know you want to search the city for whatever might return your memory, or what might get you home. But…”

She struggled then and looked down, gritting her teeth.

“I’m not going to worry about it until Ozai’s finished,” Sasuke said simply. Ty Lee looked up, her eyes ripe with shock at that remark and Mai had to admit to herself that she was surprised herself. That Sasuke would openly be committed to seeing them through this upcoming day was more than a little stunning considering just how separately he had aligned himself from the war that was underway.

“Why?” Azula snapped then and attention turned to her. Mai saw the similarly surprised expressions of everyone else and realized they were all just as taken aback by Sasuke’s response as she was.

“I’m sorry?” Sasuke asked and she glared at him intently.

“You have no cause to deal with my father. You should follow your own path, pursue your own goals. Not be pawns of some war you have nothing to do with,” Azula said sharply.

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Toph yelled and made to stand up in the saddle before a hand from Ty Lee sat her back down. Not to be forced into silence however, Toph continued, “This war affects him now just as much as any of us! There’s someone from his world fighting for your dad, and you’re going to say that it’s none of his business?!”

“He’s not a slave to factions and sides like you,” Azula snarled. Toph made a sound that was somewhere between a shout of disbelief and a roar of laugher.

“Oh, you mean like you, princess?!” the earthbender barked back. “You’re going to pretend you have some unbiased high ground here?!”

“In case you haven’t noticed, mudworm, I haven’t told him to fight for the Fire Nation, nor will you hear me say that,” Azula growled coldly. “I want him to do what’s right by him, not something that was forced on him by others, like how me and my brother were enslaved for our entire _lives!!_ ”

“Oh, like you didn’t enjoy it,” Suki snapped, crossing her arms. Azula turned to her, firing up and Zuko scooted back, clearly not looking to become involved.

“Of course there were pieces of it that I knew were essential and that I still believe were for the greater good,” Azula said arrogantly, “But if I’m about to be told off about my enjoyment of that imposed servitude by a woman who exists to mirror another in a sad game of charades, you have another thing coming.”

This understandably seemed to get under Suki’s skin and she swelled just as much as Azula had. Mai could tell this was about to start getting out of hand, but as she opened her mouth alongside Katara and Aang, likely to be making a similar attempt alongside them to defuse the situation, Sasuke cut through the bickering as only his cold, narrow voice could.

“It would appear to me that garbage like this is exactly why this war is happening in the first place.”

This was enough to cow the three angry women into silence; Mai watched Azula’s face take on a contrite look, surely in the mindset that she had insulted him while Suki’s mouth became a thin line. Toph merely looked on, ever the one to not back down from a fight.

Sasuke was leaning back, his eyes up towards the stars that were fading away above them as dawn approached. “You’re not going to win this war by tearing each other to pieces because you don’t agree about certain things.”

He gave Azula a look and it was impossible to tell if his next words were laced with sarcasm, though Mai could certainly see that they might be.

“I appreciate that you’re of the mind that I need to follow whatever path is best suited to my own liking, but I’ll be frank with you.”

Sasuke looked around at all of them at that point and Mai felt something stir deep within her as his dark eyes passed over hers.

“Ozai threatened people I care about. That’s well enough for me to make sure his supposed rise to world domination is stifled.”

Sokka cracked a comedic smile. “Aw, you do care.”

“Don’t give me that,” Sasuke snapped at him and Sokka’s smile only widened and he exchanged grins with Aang. Azula scooted nearer to Sasuke, looking at him inquiringly.

“And that Obito? What happens when he comes for us along with my father?”

Sasuke clenched and unclenched both his fists, several of the knuckles popping as he did so.

“All the worse for him,” was all he said.

There was a lull in the conversation then before Momo came from where he had been sitting on Appa’s head to come land on Aang’s shoulder, chittering as he did so. At the noise, Aang climbed over to the front of the saddle and looked out before turning back to everyone.

“City’s just ahead!!”

As Appa made to sweep around it, Mai joined the rest of them in peering over the side of their flying transport to glimpse their destination.

She had been there once before under the guise of a Kyoshi warrior, but the sheer size of the city was still enough to make Mai’s head spin even on a second viewing. Perhaps when it was viewed from the air it made it appear more impressive but she still found herself remarking, “No wonder it’s the pride of the Earth Nation.”

Mai saw Azula’s face twist in annoyance and could tell that, despite what the princess might have said in disdain for the two factions at war, the taking and loss of Ba Sing Se was still something of a sore spot with her. Mai found herself nearly shoulder to shoulder with Sasuke as they passed a several hundred meters above the surrounding wall of the city; he turned to her slightly as they did, asking, “Based on what we learned from the Fire Nation presence and orders, the city is back under Earth Nation control, is it?”

She nodded. “Hopefully that’ll aid with making sure they give us a safe landing.”

Aang looked over at this, his face looking as though he had just realized something critical. “I hadn’t thought about that. We’re going to need to make sure that we emphasize that you’re all on our side, otherwise, I don’t think the Earth Nation will be too thrilled to see Ozai’s kids and some Fire Nation royalty sticking their nose into the city.”

Appa slowly banked around as they began to descend through the sky, his saddle becoming angled with the ground so far beneath them. Mai felt herself slip briefly and as her heart jumped at the feeling, Sasuke caught her by the wrist, keeping her from sliding too far. As she looked into his face, she needed only a moment to remember that they were far from alone aboard the flying bison and she pulled her hand from his grasp quickly, hoping the still relative darkness around them would be enough to hide her reddening cheeks. Putting her elbows back against the saddle and relishing the feeling of the wind through her hair, she remarked of him jokingly, “You’ve got to have better ways of picking up girls than just saving them from certain danger.”

As she heard her own joke echo through her ears, she winced; the looks of indignation that appeared on the faces of Zuko, Azula and Toph were to be expected, but Mai was surprised to see that Katara too seemed to perk up at the words, looking very briefly worried. It struck Mai just how quiet Katara had been since they had regrouped. She pondered just what might have transpired between her and Sasuke during their time alone.

Sasuke seemed oblivious to the reactions of their companions and gave her a smirk.

“Best way to get their attention.”

She found herself smiling back and for a moment, the world stood still and Mai found herself perfectly content to just look into his eyes, not caring what anyone else thought. It was the first time in a good while that she had been given a moment to just feel perfectly content with the world, just looked into Sasuke’s face.

The moment was cut short then as Appa banked further to the left, and Mai felt that if he tilted just a little further, she would drop out of the saddle into space.

 _Good thing he’d catch me,_ she thought, and felt her heart swell involuntarily.

Then, however, there was a strange whistling sound that sliced into the silent morning air. It increased in pitch and intensity with every passing moment and Mai furrowed her brow, looking around for the cause. She saw equally confused looks being passed around until Aang’s eyes suddenly flew open wide in a panic and he screamed, “Watch out!!”

Mai had no idea what he was talking about or what to watch out for, but Sasuke’s eyes briefly glowed a fierce red and he launched himself in her direction. His hands took her by the shoulders and tossed her back towards the center of the saddle and as she hit the floor of it, she had just time to look back to see Sasuke a moment before Appa’s left side exploded in a cloud of earth and dust, Sasuke disappearing within the burst. Their ride bucked and roared in pain and Aang leapt for the reins as everyone reeled at the sudden movement. The Avatar jerked the reins and Appa pulled hard to the right just as two more whistles sounded and were accompanied by two earthen missiles blowing past the and soaring into the sky.

As Aang took Appa into a series of controlled twists and turns to avoid being hit again, Sokka yelled out, “What the hell is happening?!”

“Whoever’s in charge doesn’t know we’re not the enemy!!” Aang cried back.

With a fluidity that was relatively impressive, Zuko and Toph positioned themselves on either side of Appa, the prince blasting at whatever projectiles he could see and Ty Lee calling out to Toph where missiles were incoming from as they descended rapidly through the sky. Mai simply found herself sitting on the floor of the saddle as shouts and explosions sounded around her, realizing just how close she had been to having been completely blown to pieces.

It took both that realization and Azula frantically scrambling around, peering over various sides of Appa and screaming, for Mai to also notice that Sasuke was no longer on board.

* * *

They had been quite high up, Sasuke thought hazily as he fell a great ways down with the wind whistling a howling pitch in his ears. The initial hit had blacked him out for just a moment, but he seemed to be mostly returned to conscious at this point; he hadn’t been remotely ready for the strike, his Sharingan being his only saving grace in that moment. As he tried to think of what had caused him to fall so woefully short of being alert, he realized that there was only one factor that had so paralyzed him, for just long enough to be relatively useless.

_Damn you, Mai._

He would have been lying to himself if he hadn’t found the moment the two of them had just shared extremely pleasant, but it had clearly been a detriment to them all as a whole. Sasuke tried to twist in midair to see the rest of his company and saw a far off smudge of black against the indigo of the sky, streaking in a frantic pattern while bolts of fire flashed from it. He supposed he could only hope that the casualty of him had been enough to snap everyone to attention and would allow them to get down safely. Sasuke made a mental note to seek out whoever was in charge of the ground forces in the city and have a word.

That is, if he was able to first survive this little snag.

Thinking to when he and Toph had more or less been in a similar predicament, he knew that this was a little more precarious of a situation. Firstly, he had been at full strength when that had taken place and while he had granted plenty of time to recover from his scrum with Obito and the ensuing escape with Katara, that missile he had leapt in front of just now had most definitely injured him. He wasn’t sure how much of it had struck Appa and how much of it had struck him, but he was distantly aware that there some broken bones involved and perhaps some ruptured internals. His chakra flow would be able to automatically get to work on those injuries, but then there came the second issue that was before him.

Dropping a fair few kilometers into a city, namely.

As the sprawl of buildings, roads and lights came more and more quickly into view, Sasuke blinked aside his pain as his body raced downwards. There was a part of him that felt that it would be much more amenable to his current state to make this descent as inconspicuously as he could, but he also knew that this wasn’t going to allow for much of that. Generating a wind technique to cushion his fall or redirect was risky as it could direct him away from the ground and perhaps smack into a building, or if he did it too soon, he might risk coming into the path of another fired missile. The same issue would come of using a technique to mess with his personal gravity field or using a technique to let him take to the air.

Reaching into his chakra reserves and feeling his Sharingan burst to life, Sasuke saw the telltale purple glow swirl around him as the ribs of his Susanoo appeared in a cagelike fashion to ensnare his body, completely encircling it. A massive skeletal arm extended from the giant, ghostly ribs and wrapped around the form, tightening for further protection and ensuring that the descent was now straight in coming. Sasuke supposed anyone looking upwards from the city below right about then would see a glowing purple meteor and he hoped they would have the wherewithal to not stand directly in its path.

Sasuke grimaced as the pain in his torso grew worse and the ground drew ever closer. He would have to throw caution to the wind on this one and just hope that he could pick a spot beneath which there were no passing civilians. He imagined he was about to make quite the impact.


	20. Chapter 20

** Chapter 20: Solicitude  **

“Hey… you awake?”

Sasuke heard the voice before he opened his eyes, a young female voice brushing against his ears as he let feeling return from his body. He wasn’t sure just how long he had been out, but it was enough for him to know that he was still alive for the moment. His head lay on what must have been a pillow and a thick, down cover was pulled up to his next with his arms resting over it; he took a moment to relish in just how comfortable he had been made before replying.

“Yeah, awake.”

He heard what might have been a sigh of relief at his words. Whoever it was continued speaking and Sasuke felt the blurriness in his ears distort them just enough for him to be unsure if it was Toph or Ty Lee, or perhaps Suki. He didn’t care enough just yet to open his eyes however with how relaxed he was.

“Phew, some of the others didn’t think you would. A guy drops out of the sky from who knows how high up, surrounded by some purple light and hits the street hard enough to make a crater the size of a house, and somehow you wake up.”

“Susanoo,” Sasuke grunted.

There was a pause before whoever was next to him asked, “I’m sorry?”

Sasuke rotated his shoulders ever so slightly and took a deep breath, feeling his chest practically groan in protest and only then did just how sore he was start to hit him. Still, he elaborated, “I used my Susanoo to survive the fall. I’ve only used it once since I’ve been here, but basically, it’s an apparition of a physical sense that I can draw into being with my Sharingan. I’ve only partially summoned it though, and only for the use of protection; just pulling its rib cage forth as a shield of sorts and using its arm, and I imagined it would let me survive, which it did. Hope I didn’t hit anyone touching down.”

He waited for a snide remark to let him know it was Ty Lee or Toph, or a measured response to confirm Suki or otherwise, but he heard nothing in response to his explanation.

“Anyways, how long did it take you guys to get down, how long did it take to…”

Sasuke opened his eyes and took stock of his situation.

He was lying on a bed in a small room, walls made of wood and with lanterns burning by the door. There was a small table by the bedside with a pitcher of water and an empty glass, and beside that just next to where Sasuke lay, was a chair. This chair was occupied by the only other person in the room, and as Sasuke looked, he saw that he had been entirely wrong in assessing that this was Toph, or Ty Lee, or Suki, for it was none of them. Nor was it anyone he knew.

A young woman with thick, brown hair and dark green eyes stared intently at him, mouth slightly ajar. She was dressed in a simple robe and based on the quality of the room, Sasuke assumed she was likely a commoner of some sort. Her expression was entirely that of someone who couldn’t quite put sense to what they had just been told, and considering what Sasuke had just stated, that was understandable.

_Shit._

He tried to sit up then and this pulled her from her surprised state; she leaned forward and put a hand gently on his chest, keeping him from rising too much.

“Hey, hey, not so fast. You’re probably still pretty fragile after that… fall.” She seemed unsure of how to classify Sasuke’s arrival in the city better than that; about to snarl something about not needing to worry about something so stupid, he instead felt a rushing stab of pain tear through his torso and he grunted before slowly lying back down. The girl watched him for a good long while as he tried to get the pain under control.

“So… you always drop into people’s lives so dramatically?” she finally asked and a startled look passed over her face as Sasuke laughed.

“You’d be surprised.”

She didn’t press him for details after that and instead asked, “You got a name?”

Sasuke slowly turned his head to give her a flat look and she shrugged and adopted an apologetic look. “Sorry, guess it’s none of my business.”

Nearly snapping at her that it certainly wasn’t, Sasuke paused as he realized just how attractive she was. He imagined she was about his age and as he kept himself from addressing her rudely, he instead replied, “ Sasuke.”

She perked up quickly at that and gave him a smile that warmed his heart as much as it warmed the room.

_Stop it. Don’t you even start._

“I’m Jin,” she said and extended a hand all the way to where his rested to grip it and give it a soft shake. Sasuke grunted by way of a reply and closed his eyes again, trying to focus on what was important, rather that some stupid hormones kicking up his insides.

“How long have I been here?” he asked, picking the most prudent and relevant question he could.

“About an hour is all. Most who saw you land wanted to report you to the soldiers, but Iroh and his friends convinced them to move you here to Pao’s shop. Since that’s where I’m living right now, they asked if I’d help take care of you.”

_Iroh… why do I know that name?_

“This Iroh… is he here?”

When Jin didn’t reply immediately, he opened his eyes to see her looking over her shoulder with a concerned expression. “Yeah… he is.”

Sasuke watched her a moment longer before asking, “What’s the problem?”

She looked back a might too quickly, her brown hair whipping around her face as she matched his stare with her large eyes.

“Nothing, there’s no problem,” her words too, quick enough to be more that a little suspect. Waiting to see if she would correct herself, Sasuke finally added a few words.

“I’d really rather not start off our relationship lying to each other, Jin.”

She winced and looked down in shame.

“I’m sorry. I’m not supposed to be talking to you is all. No one expected you to wake up this quickly and if you did, I was supposed to go get Iroh or Pao or anyone else.”

“Why’s that?” Sasuke asked and she bit her lower lip and looked around nervously as though expecting the walls themselves to be listening.

“Well… no one really told me much, but I think they’re all pretty worried about who… or what you are.”

Jin rocked back in forth where she sat, her eyes curious and excited. “I mean, you kind of just fell out of the sky, this big purple thing and when the dust settled, there you were, just a guy lying in this huge crater. For now, I think everyone’s keeping quiet, but I would bet everyone has their own theory. I think Pao thinks you’re from space or something. Iroh’s usually really trusting of everybody, but he’s real careful around you, almost like he thinks you’re a Fire Nation spy or something.”

Sasuke jerked his chin in her direction.

“What do you think?”

Her smiled widened. “I think you’re a real cute guy who just happened to drop into my life.”

Another swell ran through Sasuke’s gut and he mentally cursed himself. Doing his best to ignore her comment, he again made to sit up and was able to succeed with a snarl of pain. Jin’s smile faded and she put a hand over her mouth as Sasuke felt the pain that echoed through his whole body rebound its way around for a good several seconds. He took deep breaths to try and dissipate it quicker, but still, he was forced to sit on the bed’s edge for several seconds before he felt comfortable moving again.

When he looked up, Jin’s hand was still over her mouth and her cheeks were bright red. Sasuke realized as he noticed this, that save for a relatively thin loincloth, he had been entirely stripped of his clothes which he saw piled in the corner along. It didn’t escape his notice that his sword and kunai were absent his getup.

Hoping that both he and Jin weren’t about to embarrass themselves too much, but knowing that he didn’t have much of a choice at this point, he gestured to the corner and then himself.

“Would you mind helping me redress?”

Her cheeks flushed all the redder and he rolled his eyes. “I’m a little sore yet, but I need to get going.”

Jin continued to simply stare at him and he looked back, allowing himself just a moment to admire her features before uttering a word that he very much found himself not a fan of.

“Please?”

In relative and uncomfortable silence, Jin moved to his side and leaned against him as he put an arm around her shoulder. Slowly, she eased him to his feet and he slowly stretched his frame out, growling as he did so; Jin looked up at him, putting her free hand on his chest as he did in an attempt to steady him.

“Are you okay?”

Sasuke nodded slowly. “Just need a second.”

Blood and chakra flowed back through his veins and agonized nerves. The pain was good; it told him that nothing was damaged that wouldn’t heal with time. The immediate damage was all a result of the immediate trauma of falling… well, who knew just how far. Susanoo had kept him from becoming a bloody stain on the streets of Ba Sing Se, but Sasuke still felt severe anger at himself. He should have come up with a better solution other than just taking the fall from terminal velocity. If there was to be a fight, a culmination to this war, he knew he needed to be at one hundred percent, and this decision had left him at less than that.

“Alright, let’s move… slowly, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Jin helped him hobble over to the corner where his clothes lay and they began the process of pulling him back together. His shirt went on over his head with relative ease, but as Jin attempted to pull up his pants a little too quickly in the front, her hand slipped from the waist and flew up to swat him between the legs. Sasuke inhaled through sharply through clenched teeth as a new kind of pain blossomed through his midsection and Jin leapt away, her hands clapping over her mouth and cheeks as red as apples.

“Oh my gosh, I am so, so sorry, I didn’t mean to, I was just trying to…” she blurted out frantically, and Sasuke waved it aside.

“Don’t worry about it.”

He had a fleeting thought to Azula and just what she might think of someone else touching Sasuke just there, and felt deeply grateful that he was, for the moment, dislocated from his original companions.

“Could have been worse.”

As mobility slowly returned to him and the more difficult parts of dressing being done, he was able to fully prepare to step out into the world again. Bringing his arms over his head to pull and flex at the muscle, he heard the sound of pouring behind him and he turned to see a still frightfully embarrassed looking Jin offering him a glass of water. Taking it without a second thought, he drained it and relished the cool feeling that spread through his entire core.

“Thank you.”

For a moment, they both just looked at one another, and Sasuke wondered for the briefest moment what it would be like if this had been where he had awoken over a week ago and not in the depths of some prison. Things likely would have been quite different, he supposed.

“Alright, I’m heading out.”

Jin looked deeply worried at this and he gave her a small smile, “Don’t worry about it, not your fault that I got up and left on my own accord.”

This seemed to reassure her and she smiled back. And so with Jin dogging his footsteps, Sasuke stepped out of the room and back towards war.

* * *

“Avatar Aang, please forgive my men… everyone is extremely on edge after the retaking of Ba Sing Se; we’ve been expecting a counter attack from the Fire Nation any day now and they simply fired at what they thought might be a reconnaissance airship.”

Aang looked still terribly shaken from the attack they had just endured, but still nodded with a swallow. “I understand.”

The captain in charge of defenses atop the wall looked around to the group of people he was addressing, looking both apologetic and perpetually cautious. “Regardless of how, I’m glad you’re here, even with some… questionable company.”

Mai felt his eyes pass over her as he said that and over Zuko and Ty Lee as well, but she felt as though it would have been quite hard to become offended at such suspicion. After all, she had been one of the three posing as Kyoshi warriors in the effort that had initially taken the city, and she didn’t expect to be forgiven for that.

“I must say, after the widespread reports that his children had gone rogue, I wouldn’t have expected either of you to last long with Ozai being as public about this as he’s been,” the captain said to Zuko who said nothing in response, though his frown deepened. The captain looked around then and made a face at something behind them.

“Though I’m really going to need her to get under control if I’m really going to try and pass this off to my higher ups…”

Mai heard Azula before she even finished turning and found herself looking at the princess with no small amount of anxiousness at what she was seeing.

Moments after they had begun taking fire, Aang had made the smart decision to take his glider and nosedive to the origin point of the incoming missiles to call them off. A minute or so of frantic evasive maneuvers with Sokka then at the reins and those capable doing their best to blast the incoming pieces of earth from the sky and the attack stopped. As everyone did their best to catch their breath, Aang swooped back up and had them follow him down to where they landed atop the massive barrier that stretched around the city.

Everyone had been shaken up to a fair extent, but Toph and Azula had been near hysterics. Toph had gone into something that might have been a panic attack, tears coursing down her face as she gasped for air and once on solid ground, the combined efforts of Katara and Ty Lee had been enough to simmer her down. Mai wondered if that reaction had been a response to the attack, losing Sasuke or both.

Mai herself had to admit that there was a numbness in her very bones that hadn’t gone dissipated since they had begun to take fire. Sasuke was missing, very possibly dead, and the last thing he had done was save her life. He hadn’t just told her to move, hadn’t leapt back himself; he had lunged forward without a second’s hesitation and thrown her to relative safety. Mai had only noticed herself shaking and crying herself when Suki pointed it to her and had leaned over to wipe her cheek on the way down.

 _If he dies, he dies,_ Mai had told herself, but just thinking that had ignited an awful fire inside her that made her plead desperately with hope itself that Sasuke, somehow, was still alive.

Azula however…

“Do you not have anyone who knows a damn thing watching the skies?! Are you people fucking blind?!”

Azula’s voice came out as a sharp crack against the dawn air and Mai winced. Just looking at her childhood friend and she could see the cracks more clearly than she ever had before.

Azula’s predatory eyes were red from crying, though she showed none of the softer side that Toph was displaying who was currently leaning against Ty Lee’s side, looking helpless and defeated. The princess’s hair flew around her as her lips were pulled in a furious snarl as she stormed back towards the group, looking only a moment away from dropping to her knees and screaming with sobs.

“I just went and spoke with a half dozen different watchmen and not a single one was able to tell me what happened, where he might have landed!! If I have to scorch this city to find him, I will!!”

As she stormed closer, the captain said quietly to Aang in a voice Azula couldn’t hear, “What is she talking about?”

“When we were hit, he lost someone. He fell off Appa and we lost track of them then since… well, you know,” Aang muttered. The captain looked at him with a worried expression.

“Son, if he fell from that high… I really don’t know if there’s much hope for him.”

Katara looked up from where she was holding Toph tightly by the shoulder and gave the man an intense look. “You don’t know him like we do.”

If the captain had any reply to this, it was lost as Azula finished her approach and stood before them all, eyes wild and chest heaving. Mai looked away as Azula’s wild and incensed gaze passed over her own and then moved around to each member of the group, none of whom seemed willing to say much of anything.

“Well?!” she finally burst out. Mai heard her voice shaking and cracking behind the raw fury that she conducted herself with. “Are we all just going to stand around, or are we going to find him?!”

Sokka swallowed before tentatively saying. “Azula, it’s a big city. Where would we even start?”

The look in Azula’s eyes was truly frantic and frenzied now and Mai felt her heartrate rise just seeing her so out of control.

“How should I know?! You and your sister are the planners, or leaders, or whatever you call being in charge of this pathetic group!! Do something about this!!”

As she listened, Mai heard the telltale voice of the Azula that always believed she ought to have her way, who always expected others to scramble at her very order. On top of the severe mental stress she was probably already feeling, she probably no doubt saw the lack of action at her words as an insult as much as anything.

“Look… miss,” the captain said, clearly unsure of how to address Azula, the young woman who had conquered his city only months ago and that he and his men behind him, all of whom looked equally perplexed, were now just expected to ignore and work alongside. Mai couldn’t blame them for being as unsure as they looked. “If your friend fell out of the sky from that high up, we’ll just be trying to find a body at this point, I don’t know if it’s quite a good idea to get so worked up when he’s probably—”

Blue fire flashed like a whip through the air and the captain fell back with a curse and he and his soldiers slammed their feet into the top of the wall and a small storm of rocks burst upwards from the ground, ready to be launched. Azula glared at all of them without an inkling of concern or regret, the only expression readable on her face being the rampant anger and panic that was ruling her every decision just then.

“Another word out of you, worm, and you’ll wish you’d been off duty today.”

The captain, to his credit, was not entirely cowed by a telling off from Azula, who Mai often found could clear a room with just a look. “There are no off duty soldiers in Ba Sing Se, not anymore, not after what you and yours pulled. We’ve been waiting every day for something like this to happen, and we’re not ready to give up our home to you again.”

Azula stared in utter befuddlement at him for a long moment before giving a shriek of mad laughter that sent a chill down Mai’s spine.

“You think I care about this shithole of a city?!” she fairly screamed, “You can keep your dirt and your walls and your pathetic subhuman people, but _give him back to me!!!_ ”

As her voice cranked up yet another notch, Mai finally threw caution to the wind and stepped between Azula and the rest; as she did, she caught sight of her companions and saw them all looking more than a little frightened and pained. Zuko looked like he might be sick and Ty Lee had tears on her cheeks as Toph buried her face in the acrobat’s midriff, visibly shaking.

Mai wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to do, or even if she was going to be able tor survive, but she strode right up to Azula and dropped her hands on the princess’s shoulders. She spared a moment to feel surprised that she wasn’t immediately incinerated at the mere action before staring as fearlessly as she was able into Azula’s burning, hot eyes.

“Listen to me, ‘Zula!!” she shouted, impressed that she was able to keep her voice in check. “We are not about to start another war!! You need to calm down!!”

She slammed as much emphasis on the last two words and saw as Azula’s face briefly dipped into shock. It was so rare that she was ever talked back to, let alone shouted at this way. Mai pushed this advantage while she still had it.

“We’re going to find him!! He’s going to be okay, and we’re going to find him!!”

Mai kept her voice raised, worried that if she fell out of this register that she would lose this very rare power she had over Azula.

“It’s all we have right now!! So we’re going to go with it, okay?! We’re going to find him!!”

With that, she stopped for breath and stared into Azula’s face, waiting for the princess’s typical demeanor to return, but it didn’t. Instead, fresh tears rolled down Azula’s face and she shook her head, looking as destroyed as Mai had ever seen a person.

“I can’t lose him,” she whispered and Mai closed her eyes. Her feelings on Sasuke and Azula’s relationship were as complicated as her own towards the mysterious young man, but she knew that for this moment, there was no time for her to dig into them.

“You won’t,” she said, but with the blank look that seemed to shade over Azula’s face, she wasn’t sure she was even being heard. Mai turned to the group and set firmly. “We need to find him.”

She put as much intensity in her expression as she could, ensuring that every single one of them knew just how much this was something that needed to be done. Mai hoped very much that Toph was going to be alright since, Mai knew, there were fairly decent odds that it was indeed a corpse they were going to find. But that wasn’t something she could say aloud with Azula there; for if they did indeed find a body… Mai didn’t want to think what would happen if that turned out to be the case.

Mai was relieved when Aang of all people nodded and stepped forward. His voice was still shaky and it was clear he wasn’t fully confident of this either, but he still put on a brave face.

“Appa can’t fly anymore, he needs to rest… but Azula and I can take to the skies and try and see what we can. Everyone else can get on the streets and start looking.”

Mai looked back and saw Azula nodding her head slowly as if in a daze. Aang looked back at the dejected expressions of his allies before running forward, extending his glider and taking to the skies without another word. Azula, shaken by his sudden flight, seemed to be shaken free of her mental trance. With a growl, she shook Mai’s hands away and leapt into the air, fire sprouting from her hands and feet, propelling her after Aang.

As the two of them soared off, Mai turned to Ty Lee and gave her a significant nod. Ty Lee fortunately took the hint immediately and looked down to Toph who still clung to her like a shell-shocked child. Which, Mai supposed, she really was.

“Hey,” Ty Lee said quietly, “Why don’t we go find Sasuke?”

For a moment, Toph only sniffed and Mai was worried that it wouldn’t be enough, but then, the earthbender nodded and she took Ty Lee’s hand silently. Mai watched as Katara put a hand to her mouth and closed her eyes, tears of her own leaking out as the acrobat led Toph towards the lifts that would take them down to the city below. Mai gave Ty Lee a grateful look that was returned with a smile as she passed by.

When the two of them were as out of earshot as Aang and Azula were, now only specks against the pale morning sky, Sokka blew out a long sigh and rubbed his face.

“That was smart, Mai,” he muttered through his hands and she shrugged.

“If we’re going to have to be realistic about this, I think it would be better if neither of them were here.”

She caught Suki looking at her with a knowing look then, but the Kyoshi warrior looked away quickly. Mai nearly snapped something, but caught herself since it she knew it was entirely possible that she herself was harboring some deeply anguished feelings, and going after Suki just then would have just made that obvious to everyone else.

Sokka looked at the captain. “We can meet with Ba Sing Se leadership after the search, assuming it isn’t widespread knowledge that we’re here before then.”

The captain, remarkably amenable to the situation despite his frowning and cautious shifting of his weight, nodded. “Come to the city center when you’re ready. We have Water Nation leaders visiting as well to assist in the repelling of the Fire Nation and I’m sure all will want to meet the Avatar following his believed demise.”

Katara seemed to shake free of her own personal thoughts and looked up in surprise. “Water Nation in Ba Sing Se?”

One of the soldiers behind the captain spoke up. “This is no longer just about defending the Earth Nation. Both Earth and Water understand that if this city falls to the Fire Lord, it’s the beginning of the end for all.”

It was a promising sentiment of unifying nations, but the underlying suggestion that Ozai would be more than capable of defeating them even if their forces were shared was enough to extinguish that glimmer of hope. Mai looked at Sokka, Katara, Suki and Zuko, who all looked miserable in their own way. Even Mai’s own feet were hesitant to move and she knew that if she let herself, she would drop to the ground in defeat and exhaustion and pass out. But there was no time for that and she clapped her hands as sharply as she could, and the four of them snapped their gazes to her.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

Sasuke made it further than he might have expected before he was immediately assailed by citizens of the city that he had crash landed in.

He had passed from his room into the shop that he had been brought into; Jin explained that it was a tea shop belonging to a Mr. Pao whom this Iroh she kept referring to had convinced those who had found his unconscious form to be lain for the time being. The tea shop was empty as he marched his way through it, feet creaking underneath the floorboards before he stepped out into the early morning air.

It was a brisk and slightly breezy morning and Sasuke took a deep inhale the first chance he got, relishing the fresh air in his lungs. Ahead of him was a street, not nearly as deserted as the shop he had just come through; a crowd of what might have been about a hundred people were gathered in the street’s center and were rabbling amongst one another intelligibly. Sasuke almost considered sneaking away and letting them find him missing at a later time, but knew that such deceptiveness would not do well in gaining the trust of the locals whom he knew he would need for information on both the city and the potential whereabouts of his missing companions. That, and Jin would surely be in hot water if he made that choice.

Sasuke scoffed to himself as he approached the crowd.

_Why do I care?_

As he neared the people from behind, he heard the first intelligible voice speak up over all the others. “It’s a sign from the spirits!! They’re telling us to leave the city, Ba Sing Se is doomed!!”

Another responded. “Keep that taboo talk to yourself!! You believe the spirits would suggest that we abandon our homes?!”

“Why not?! The daughter of Fire Lord Ozai was nearly able to breach our walls all on her own!! What’s stopping the Fire Lord himself from taking the city in his fist and burning it to cinders, with that comet on the way no less?!”

“The city’s officials have assured us that there is no cause for alarm, we will be protected!!”

“Ha!! And you believe that?! They hid the war from us for decades, and now we’re supposed to trust what they say?!”

“I’m telling you, it’s that boy that fell from the sky, he’s a sign from the heavens!!”

As the voices bombarded each other with increasingly anxious pitches, another voice, calm and composed, ran its way through their clutter.

“Please, friends, fighting among ourselves will surely be our downfall. To withstand a storm, we must build our barricades as one, not as separate structures.”

The first voice that Sasuke had heard snapped haughtily, “Always with the proverbs, teamaker. I don’t know why Pao or anyone else listened to you, it wasn’t your decision to move him. We should have taken him to the armies!”

Sasuke didn’t get a chance to hear what the teamaker’s response to this might be as all of the sudden, there was a bloodcurdling shriek and he flinched, looked to the source of the noise.

One of the women that had been in the crowd had turned away from the congregation and spotted him. Judging by her scream, her shaking, pointing finger and her wide eyes, she must have been one of the ones to have seen him. All at once, the crowd turned to the disturbance and shuddered as one as they all caught sight of him, some shouting, some gasping.

“Is that him?”

“Yes!”

“He’s alive!”

“No one should have survived that!”

Sasuke listened to the chorus of voices echo around him for a moment before he decided to get things moving.

“Who moved me indoors?” he called out to the crowd and they at once fell into murmurs. Slowly, they parted and between the waves of people, Sasuke saw a shorter, kind looking old man with a thinner mustached man by his side. As he met Sasuke’s eyes, he raised a hand gently as a way of greeting.

“That would be I. You can call me Iroh.”

* * *

As she followed Ty Lee through the relatively deserted streets of the still waking city, Toph felt the awful pit in her stomach not lessening in the slightest. Ever since Sasuke had disappeared from Appa’s back following the attack, she had hoped that the feeling would dissipate, but all that rested within her was fear and longing.

Because she knew deep down that she was scared, not just to find Sasuke, but to find his… his…

“Ty Lee?”

She hiccupped as she called the older girls name and they came to a halt as Ty Lee turned back.

“Yeah?”

Toph could feel the words bubbling out of her like boiling water, and she couldn’t hold them back. “What if we find him and he’s… I don’t know what I’ll do if he’s not…”

It wasn’t fair to dump this on Ty Lee, the girl who had been nothing short of entirely kind and understanding with her since her arrival, but she had to let this spill. Toph could feel Ty Lee’s uneven distribution of weight before the acrobat got to one knee and Toph knew they were one eye level with one another.

“Toph, I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?”

As her whole body shook and quaked, Toph gave a trembling nod.

“Sasuke is not dead.”

Just hearing the two words in the same sentence sent an agonized jolt through Toph’s body and she moaned before falling into sobs once more. As she leaned forward, she felt Ty Lee’s arms wrap around her and pull her in close; Toph rested her head against the girl’s shoulder, feeling her tears leak into the acrobat’s clothes.

“I don’t know what to do, Ty Lee, I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. It hurts to think about him, it _hurts so badly_ , I never know what to do. He makes me feel so happy and alive, but he scares me half to death too. But… I don’t want him to be dead.”

“Shh, shh, shh… he’s not.”

Toph swallowed and with as much effort as she had ever had to muster for anything, she forced herself to consider the possibility of feeling his lifeless body beneath her hands.

“If… if he is… gone, can you promise me something?”

“Whatever you need, Toph.”

“Can you be there for me? If no one else is, or can be? I… I don’t think I’ll be able to face that alone.”

There was a pause and Toph felt something ever so gently hit her neck and she realized it was a tear from Ty Lee as the girl murmured back. “You won’t be alone, I promise.”

Toph allowed herself to give in to the agony of the possibility that this could come to pass and Ty Lee held her while she cried, minutes passing before they resumed their walking.

* * *

“So, I’ve got you to thank for keeping these psychos from dissecting me or sacrificing me to their gods?”

Iroh eyed Sasuke at his less than reverent words. The pair of them were back inside Pao’s tea shop, sitting at a table alone. The mustached man known as Pao was busying himself fixing some food, while Jin sat in a chair a table away, acting like she wasn’t actively listening in on the conversation. The crowd of people who were surely still milling about outside, had fortunately been deterred by Iroh who had promised that he just wanted to speak with the newcomer.

Sasuke couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t wary of the old man, but there was something pleasantly disarming about his company as well, rather as though he could pass for the grandfather of anyone, kindly and charming. Still, the lines of his face were pulled in a serious expression as he addressed Sasuke in return.

“They’re frightened. A man drops from the sky in a purple explosion on the morning before the Fire Nation are expected to move on the city? There have been talks of evacuation for weeks, but nothing has come of them. Residents who wish to leave have been encouraged to do so, but no one knows where to go. This was thought the safest city on the planet; where do they go from here?”

Sasuke nodded. “And then I show up and make their confusion and worry even more attainable.”

Iroh nodded back. “You do.”

“Jin told me you were a refugee. Why do you care so much about this city? Why do people listen to you like you’re some kind of leader?”

“I have placed much stock and faith in the city of Ba Sing Se and have devoted my craft to the betterment of its people,” Iroh replied fairly. “Is it my loyalty, or my authority amongst the people that you’re questioning?”

“Maybe both,” Sasuke said back thinly and Jin jumped to her feet, no longer content pretending that she wasn’t listening.

“Please don’t fight, you two! Don’t we have enough problems right now?”

At her words, Iroh’s face suddenly softened a great deal and he sighed. “You’re right, my dear. My old age is making me paranoid it seems.”

He looked back to Sasuke, eyes genuine and tired. “At the end of this day, a great many things will be different for our world. Fear has taken a place in my heart as it has with all those within this city’s walls. Your arrival hardly seems like coincidence, but I am placing the cart before the horse; I haven’t asked a thing about you, and am already jumping to conclusions and I hope you can forgive me for that.”

His explanation seemed perfectly understandable and in truth, Sasuke hadn’t taken offense at a word the old man had said leading up that point. He was right to be suspicious and he was right to be blunt. But through all of that, it hadn’t been lost on Sasuke just how much emphasis that Iroh had put on the words “our world” when he had apologized. It hadn’t been lost on Sasuke at all.

Still, he believed that playing his cards passively would be the best route forward.

“I understand. These seem to be trying times for everyone having to live through them.”

Iroh gave him a warm, if distant, smile. “I’m glad you see it that way.”

Pao circled around the table and laid a tray of food in front of Sasuke and hand Iroh a cup of tea; Sasuke barely noticed this gesture as he lunged into his meal, not particularly caring for table manners in that moment. His tired and chakra-deprived body was anxious for physical sustenance and with his stomach giving a rumble not for the first time since he had awoke, Sasuke was more than happy to oblige.

As he wolfed down his food, he flicked glances to both Jin and Iroh who were watching him with curiosity and interest. Sasuke was reminded unpleasantly to the time before when he had been with Aang and the others and they had been more content to stare at him like he was some bizarre specimen.

_Though I suppose that’s what I am in a place like this._

With a half-eaten roll of bread, Sasuke gestured to Iroh and asked with a slightly muffled voice, “So, what’s the deal with the people out there? Considering the Fire Nation is probably well on their way, they seem a lot more interested in infighting then preparing themselves.”

As Iroh pressed his fingers against his temples, Sasuke could tell that he was a man deeply overworked and overstressed.

“There’s more to this than just defending the city. Not days ago, this city was in the control of the Fire Nation before a risky coup was able to wrestle back power and expunge the Fire Nation regency from the city walls. But between bureaucrats and politicians, nothing can be decided, nothing of great consequence anyway. The previous king left the city and resigned his post prior to this invasion, leaving a fragile cabinet in place to rule over Ba Sing Se. But after restoring Earth Nation rule, the balance of power is more up in the air than ever before.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and took a long gulp of water. “Sounds like you need someone to step up.”

Jin scooted forward in her chair, clearly eager to participate in the conversation, “Iroh has. He’s been wonderful; he’s organized the families of poorer status to move to the northwest side of the city, furthest from where we’ll be attacked. He’s spoken with the captains and generals and organized as many civilian earthbenders as he can to fight alongside the army.”

She beamed at the old man. “Thanks to him, I think we really have a chance.”

Iroh returned her smile before gesturing towards Pao. “Jin, would you mind helping Pao in the kitchen? I think our friend here will need more than he has presently.”

Her smile widened and she got to her feet, surprising Sasuke by pinching him in the arm. “Don’t go anywhere.”

Sasuke watched her disappear out of sight and Iroh nudged him under the table with his toe. “Quite the flirt, isn’t she?”

Grunting, Sasuke nodded. “She’s got the confidence, I’ll give her that.”

Looking after her, the old man added, “It’s rare that the woman is the one doing the advancing, but she made some similar strides towards my nephew some months ago.”

For whatever reason, Sasuke felt a piece of his heart sink gloomily. “She’s taken, then?”

Iroh gave him a blank look before throwing his head back with a boom of laugher. “Hardly, my friend. My nephew hasn’t set foot in these walls in quite a while, and I rather doubt he ever will again.”

Not willing to show any signs that there was perhaps more to that than he cared to admit, Sasuke paused a moment before asking quietly, “So, what doesn’t she know?”

Iroh didn’t reply, but Sasuke met his gaze and could see the sadness in those eyes. “You sent her out of earshot for a reason.”

The words that came from Iroh then were as grim as any could be. “I’m not native to this city, nor even to the Earth Nation. But I know enough of it to know that we have not the manpower, nor bending ability to make a stand against the Fire Lord and his army. With Sozin’s Comet nearly upon us, there will be no stopping his advance; his technology and enhanced firebending are not things I believe we can stop.”

He gave his tea a half-hearted sip. “General Gokan is a saving grace of sorts. I have been coordinating defenses and manpower with him since my arrival just days ago. He’s legally not allowed to be doing anything without the approval of the city council that is currently in charge, but they’re too busy arguing to notice and he’s too loyal to this city and its people to care. The army stands with him regardless and the Water Nation forces that have arrived have dutifully stepped under his command as well.”

“Sounds like quite the guy,” Sasuke remarked. “Funny, that a teamaker of all people would be coordinating a defense with him.”

The false intrigue in his voice was not missed by Iroh who gave him a look.

“Clearly, you’ve figured my background is more than just tea,” he said.

“Just as you’ve probably figured that my falling from the sky, and surviving, was no freak accident,” Sasuke replied. There came a long pause then as the pair regarded one another evenly.

Drumming his fingers on the table for a long moment, Sasuke considered before asking, “Why’d you move me inside? Jin said you were adamant about getting me off the streets and not turning me over the soldiers? What good does that get you?”

Grimacing, Iroh gave his head a slow shake as if deeply disappointed by something.

“You would have been worse off in the hands of the soldiers. Most are extremely on edge, and they probably would have taken you as a scout or a spy of the Fire Nation. Though your dress is excessively foreign even to my weathered and experienced eyes, so you really could be from anywhere.”

It didn’t take a deep level of analyzing for Sasuke to know that Iroh wasn’t being entirely truthful.

“Okay. And what’s the real reason?”

Heaving a deep sigh, Iroh replied, “I traveled to this city with someone rather like you. If you are what I think you are, you’re very dangerous, and quite possibly confused by your predicament.”

_Someone like me?_

Sasuke nearly leapt to his feet and began shouting demands for information, but he kept himself in check. A flurry of possibilities on who this might have been swam through his mental processes before he managed to clear his throat and admitted, “I suppose I am both of those things.”

This didn’t seem to surprise Iroh in the slightest and Sasuke could tell it was because of just how confident he was in his deduction, further piquing Sasuke’s interest. He held his tongue though as Jin came back out from the kitchen.

“Be ready in just a couple minutes,” she grinned with a wink and Sasuke returned this with a small smile. Iroh hardly seemed to notice her return at all as he asked, “How did you come to be falling out of the space above Ba Sing Se?”

The thought barely occurred to Sasuke to lie; not only was this his intended destination, but it was no doubt Aang and the rest would have made it down by now, hopefully in once piece. The mere thought of them sent a stab of worry through his gut as he wondered if anyone else had been blown off in the ensuing attack, something he hadn’t even considered as a possibility. But he felt no urge to lie to Iroh, or even Jin. If they opposed the Fire Nation as they seemed to, there was no doubt in his mind that him speaking of traveling with the Avatar was something that would discourage his newfound relationship with the city residents.

“I was traveling here with the Avatar when our flying bison was attacked. I fell out and landed just nearby.”

There was a crash and Sasuke looked over to see a broken pitcher on the ground at Jin’s feet as she stared at him, wide-eyed. She didn’t react in the slightest as Pao came running out and began to make a fuss as she stared at Sasuke in shock.

“The Avatar… that’s impossible. Prince Zuko killed him.”

Sasuke caught the flinch that ran over Iroh’s face at these words but he also could see that the old man as eying him with just as much surprise, if a great deal more reserved. Sasuke chuckled at both of them, and particularly Jin’s words; is this what wartime propaganda managed to spread?

“I assure you, that’s far from the truth.”

The pair continued to stare at him and Sasuke wondered just how monumental hearing something like this really was for these people. He made to stand up, saying, “In fact, I’m fairly sure I can prove it if we just…”

The world swam before his eyes then and he groaned and dropped to a knee as the sudden movement sent blood rushing to his head with a vicious speed. He felt Jin’s arms on him before he saw her and heard her murmuring.

“Careful now, careful, can you stand? Let’s see if you can—”

Sasuke cursed as his knees buckled and he fell somewhat against her and she went to her knees, catching him in her lap.

“Whoops, guess not,” she said as she cradled his head in one hand and laid the other one against his chest. Iroh smirked from the table and Sasuke made to give the old man a sour look as he received a knowing wink at the implications of this little moment.

But Sasuke could still see the turmoil in the old man’s eyes and as he let his faculties return to him in Jin’s arms, he wondered if he really had come all this way to arrive in a city that would be doomed before the day was out.

* * *

Azula refused to lose hope.

She would find him.

She had no choice, _but_ to find him.

He belonged to her and she wasn’t leaving this city until she found him, safe and sound. Azula would hold him and feel his warmth, know that he was alright. Everything would be alright then, everything would be as it should.

Her hands and feet were growing tired with just how much effort she had been exerting to sustain jets of flame to propel herself through the air, but she ignored her body. Her body was weak, but her heart was unstoppable.

She was losing track of what parts of the city she had flown over at that point and she was forcing herself to deny the steadily growing desperation that was starting to play tricks on her mind. There would be moments where she could have sworn that she saw him on a rooftop, only to go in for a closer look and seeing hanging laundry or some shadows playing off the early morning light. Things felt like they were collapsing around her.

Azula was distantly aware of Aang flying up alongside her after a long period of searching, his voice just loud enough to hear over the wind in their ears.

“Nothing?”

She wanted to blast him from the sky for asking such a stupid question. Of course there was nothing, of course she remained completely empty-handed. If she wasn’t, then she would be on the ground in Sasuke’s arms, heart soaring with joy. For a moment, they continued flying alongside one another before Aang called out again.

“Hey, Azula?”

Snapping her head in his direction and nearly spitting the word, she snarled, “What?!”

She didn’t want to be bothered right now, Aang had no business pestering her when she felt like her insides were about to turn out and leave her a broken mess. Her head was starting to spin in a panic and she could feel tears resurfacing with a burning vengeance. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone to be with her ensuing madness and let her just fall to—

“Have you tried using that mark me put on you?” Aang asked tentatively.

Azula threw her hands out ahead of her, coming to a complete stop to hover in midair with the jets beneath her feet leaving her hundreds of feet above the city streets.

How hadn’t she thought of this?

How hadn’t she known?

For in all the fear and desperation, she had known her body was burning with the pain that exerting herself through the air for so long caused, but there was indeed another burning, a much more personal one that had completely slipped her narrowed focus.

The seal was burning.

Azula crowed loudly and angled herself towards the ground, following the direction where the burning increased in its painful brilliance. There was now perfect clarity for her as her heart was now slamming in her chest with anticipation; the mark burning could only mean one thing. Sasuke was alive, and Azula was coming for him.

She slashed her way through the streets, passing surprised citizens and causing animals to cry out and leap aside. Barreling along towards where the mark burned stronger and stronger, Azula came to a sudden halt in front of a storefront.

It was simple, pathetically so. Nothing more than a tea shop by the looks of it, but to her, it was the most important place on earth. As Aang landed next to her, panting for relief, Azula noticed several throngs of people gathered around on the street; many gasped and pointed as the alighted before the store on her tails of blue fire, either in regards to her or the Avatar, but she paid them no mind. If they so much as tried to stop her from going inside, she would make Sasuke’s slaughter on the beach look like child’s play.

“He’s in here,” Azula said breathlessly, sliding fingers underneath her clothing to rub the now searing mark that Sasuke had gifted her. He had sounded confident it wouldn’t be as useful as it had been the first time, but here it was, offering her the same advantage it had before. There was a nagging thought that told her it was wrong, it was just her body playing tricks on her, but she shook it aside.

“You’re sure?” Aang asked, his voice now sounding hopeful. Azula gave a curt nod and his face broke into a wide smile.

“I’ll go get the others!” he extended his glider and shot off into the air with barely the smallest gust of wind to mark his departure. Putting him out of mind just as quickly, Azula strode to the front door and froze just before putting a hand on it. Was she ready to see him? Would she know what to say? Would he be happy to see her?

_Stop it… he’ll be thrilled. He’ll see how much you care. Maybe he’ll… maybe he’ll even let you kiss him again._

Azula’s hand wrapped around the door handle and, with something like a hundred pairs of eyes on her back, she walked inside.

She saw him immediately. He was there, he was alright, he was _alive._ Azula felt her head spin terribly and she leaned against the door with a thud as she gazed on him. It was even better than she had imagined, as her panic and fear was flushed away like leaves floating over a waterfall to drift out of sight forever. She saw his toned form, his black hair, his assertive face and his gorgeous, black eyes. He was fine and he was here. Azula couldn’t have been more relieved and overjoyed as she felt unbidden tears streak down her face.

This was all until she saw the fact that Sasuke was lying on the ground.

In the arms of a girl.

Sasuke looked to her as Azula stood poker straight just inside the store and pushed himself weakly to his feet. She saw how he was struggling and felt a stab of concern; was he injured?

“Azula,” he said and just hearing him say her name was enough to raise a lump in her throat. But as she felt the warm and incredible energy afforded to her by their reunion still buzzing throughout her whole body, there was a dark cloud looming over all of it now. Sasuke had been in the arms of another, and there was something very broken about the world just then.

“How did you find me?” he asked and Azula found she couldn’t quite speak just yet, but she was able to raise a hand and touch the area where his seal had been placed. Sasuke’s brow furrowed at that.

“Huh. It shouldn’t be working that well after the first use… strange,” he muttered. His expression softened then and he spoke words that made Azula go weak at the knees.

“It’s good to see you.”

With that, she could no longer hold back and she let out an awful sob and raced up to him, running into his arms. Pulling herself around his warmth, she felt so incredibly relieved and safe and at peace. His very being gave her such a sense of calm that she could scarcely imagine how she had ever lived without it. And slowly, as she allowed herself to believe that things could be alright, she gently began to push herself against him; Sasuke stood stalwart as she moved, but Azula felt so unchained in that moment, it was a moot point to even notice.

“I was so worried about you,” she whispered, sliding a hand just inside the open section of his shirt that exposed much of his chest, bringing it up to cradle under his chin. He didn’t reply, but she was glad he didn’t; she wanted this moment to just be about what she could show him of her affection. There was no Toph or Mai or Katara or whomever else to interfere with her and it was pure bliss to be as free as she was just then.

Azula parted her lips and planted a long kiss on his collarbone and remained there a moment, relishing his taste; at this, he stirred and spoke quietly but firmly.

“Azula…”

She ignored this and pulled her head over to the left slightly and extended her tongue, sliding it against his neck before whispering, “I’ll never let you disappear from my life again.”

Sasuke pulled his hands up and gripped her by the wrists, and pushed her back a couple feet. She stared at him expectantly, the butterflies in her stomach going wild. Maybe he would throw her against a table, hold her down and—

“These people are the ones that saved me.”

There was a moment as Azula’s thoughts came to a screeching halt where she remembered that she was not in fact alone with Sasuke. They were absent their other companions, yes, but she had somehow managed to push out of her mind that they were still in the company of others.

“This is Iroh. He convinced the townsfolk not to turn me over the city authorities.”

A spark passed through Azula’s mind as she looked over to see her uncle, face pulled in an expression of shock and concern. She couldn’t quite keep the bile from rising in her throat at seeing him again and she imagined the feeling was mutual.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again… your highness,” Iroh managed and Azula returned his words with a smile that she knew was as see through as the repulsion in her eyes. Sasuke looked between them with mild interest.

“Wait, you two have met?”

“Once or twice,” Azula said curtly. She continued to glower at her uncle before Sasuke cleared his throat, likely sensing the tension that had suddenly been brought on.

“Yes, well… Mr. Pao, he seems to be elsewhere at the moment, but this is Jin.”

Azula’s thoughts immediately came crashing back down beneath that looming cloud, that dark mass that represented the greatest possible obstacle to her. She looked away from her uncle and laid eyes on the girl who had dared to hold him.

“Hi, you’re royalty? From one of the Earth Nation noble families maybe?” she asked.

She was pretty, of course she was, she would have to be to stand a chance at trying to poison Sasuke’s heart. The girl known as Jin looked at Azula reluctantly and nervously. It would seem that she didn’t quite recognize the princess of the Fire Nation as she raised a hand in an anxious little wave. Azula made no such gesture in return, but instead looked up and down at her; she looked at Jin’s long, perfect hair and then to her beautiful eyes and full breasts, down to the remainder of her body which appeared to be quite lean and attractive beneath the robe she was wearing. She had taken time alone with Sasuke. What had she done to him?

And as Azula thought to that rotten little earthbender, to the slut she had thought she could call her friend, and to that waterbending bitch who had dared to try and kill Sasuke, she knew very suddenly what she had to do.

* * *

Sasuke watched Azula stare at Jin with a deeply sinister expression and let out a silent breath of relief as the princess finally asked, in a somewhat jerky tone.

“Is there a bathroom here?”

Jin gave a couple bemused blinks before throwing a thumb over her shoulder. “Yeah, just down the hall on the left.”

Azula remained as still as a statue. “Could you show me?”

Giving a small smile and clearly not entirely sure what to think of the woman she didn’t know was daughter of the Fire Lord, Jin gave a shrug and a nod and turned to march down the way she had gestured. Azula made to follow and stopped just next to Sasuke; he looked to her and while she didn’t return his gaze, she reached out and dragged her nails gently down his forearm before following Jin to relieve herself. At her touch, Sasuke couldn’t quite help but keep the hairs on the back of his neck from raising.

When they were both out of sight, Iroh looked to Sasuke with a very condoling expression. “You’re dating the princess of the Fire Nation?”

Sasuke’s face pulled in a grimace as the ever present conundrum and turned his head down, shaking it as he did, “She certainly seems to think so.”

He was aware that it didn’t exactly make a great deal of sense, but Iroh didn’t press for particulars, instead adding, “You need to be very careful of her, perhaps you don’t know much about her, but—”

“Oh, no, I do. Believe me, I do,” Sasuke said grimly. He genuinely wasn’t sure what to think now that he had been reunited with her; he still didn’t know the status of his other companions as he imagined their plight was hardly important to Azula, but her being here now let him hope that they were safely on the ground in the city as well. But seeing her then… Sasuke didn’t know what to think.

Silence ticked by between them for a moment before Iroh asked, “How in the world did you come to be traveling with Princess Azula?”

“Well, surely you’ve heard how she and her brother went rogue,” Sasuke muttered and the old man nodded. “They wound up traveling with the Avatar and company, and I had joined up with said group shortly previous after a prison break out.”

“Boiling Rock? You were a prisoner?”

“For one reason or another,” Sasuke sighed.

“I see. So the Avatar has been playing his cards carefully and not coming out of hiding. There were of course whispers, and I think the Fire Nation themselves were unsure of his actual demise, but this… perhaps this can turn the tides in our favor.”

Hearing a touch of hope in Iroh’s voice pulled at the corners of Sasuke’s mouth; it was good to hear even the barest bit of positivity, considering where this city was about have to go.

“How was she able to find you?” he heard Iroh inquire.

“A… ability I possess is that of placing marks, or seals on a person as a method of tracking so to speak. After a situation previously, I had placed one on Azula and she seems to have used it to find me again.”

Iroh laughed. “If there was one person alive who I wouldn’t want to be able to find me whenever she wanted, it would probably be her royal highness.”

Allowing himself a grin, Sasuke rolled his eyes. “It definitely stings of one of my perhaps less inspired decisions… though if it keeps her simmered down enough to not go off and kill Mai, or Toph, or—”

A freezing cold hammer smashed into his heart and Sasuke’s breath caught in his throat as something, something so terribly obvious that he somehow hadn’t seen coming occurred to him. His body moved before he even realized it.

“No!!” he shouted and raced down the hall to the door Jin had only just indicated, brushing a startled Pao out of his way as he did. With a kick, it exploded off its hinges and Sasuke burst into the washroom, hoping badly he wasn’t too late.

He was.

Jin was slumped against the back wall, eyes wide with surprise. At her midsection there was a monstrous slash that jutted in a diagonal sweep from one side to the other, her hand clutching almost involuntarily at it, the cloth of her robe being burned away in an area of about a square foot. On its furthest edges, her skin was cauterized and black, and Sasuke was reminded of Ty Lee’s wound that he had seen Katara tend to. In the utmost middle of the slash, however, the burn had passed deep and badly enough to look as though it were a wound from a sword and Sasuke watched as blood oozed its way out over Jin’s hands and soaking into her robes.

Sasuke slid to his knees at her side and put a hand behind her neck; despite the relative blankness of her face, she seemed to notice him then and as she weakly turned her head to his, he saw tears rolling down her face.

“I don’t want to die,” she managed to croak out and Sasuke grit his teeth.

“You won’t, it’ll be okay, it’ll be okay…” he managed, but as he regarded the wound, he had no idea if his promise was remotely feasible. 

“She can’t tempt you anymore.”

Azula’s voice slithered in his ear and Sasuke’s face locked into his usual mask of perpetual calm in an effort to keep himself in control. He slowly turned his head to see Azula standing just a short distance away, blue fire still smoldering in her hand. Her face was that of someone who had just been permitted to breathe after being kept from doing so for an extended period. She wasn’t gasping for air in that sense, but her mouth was open and her face was an expression of the purest relief, even more so than when she had entered the teashop and laid eyes on him.

Sasuke looked into those same eyes and as he saw the madness dancing there and as he felt Jin shaking from the trauma in his hands, he felt very peculiar as he truly didn’t know what to do.


	21. Chapter 21

** Chapter 21: Copout **

Aang felt a smile cross over his face as he dove downward, the wind whipping at his face. The rest of his companions had congregated near a small bridge crossing over a river, and fortunately, no one was around with it being that early in the morning. It was a sour note for Aang as he realized that a great many people may have been evacuated already and thus it was deserted for a reason, but he caught himself and brought his focus to the moment.

_Let’s enjoy the good news while we have it._

He pulled up very close to the ground and came out of his flight in a jog as he ran up to everyone. Toph’s eyes were still red, worse than they had been atop the wall and Aang knew that she must have been crying quite a bit while she had been with Ty Lee; the acrobat herself seemed to have some wet trails on her own face that glinted in the pale morning light. Mai was wearing a hard look that looked like the expression of someone trying very hard not to let show any emotion in a strong contrast to Katara, who just looked plain miserable. Zuko’s face was tight in a perpetual grimace as though he were constantly reminding himself of just how dire the situation was. Sokka and Suki were holding hands tightly, both looking considerably glum, though they looked up hopefully as did all as Aang approached. The expressions that they wore collectively were enough for Aang to feel a throb in his gut that he was hopefully about to bright their morning to a strong degree.

He panted a moment before saying, “We found him.”

As the expressions around him changed into that of deeply anxious people, he realized that those three words only fulfilled half of the criteria for a proper report and he hastily added, “He’s alive.”

Toph let out a moan and put her hands in her face, breaking out into fresh tears. Katara closed her eyes and turned her head towards the sky, breathing deeply as Mai put a hand over her mouth and made a consternated noise before bending over, looking like she might be sick. Ty Lee stared at him before breaking into a smile, pulling Toph by the shoulders to press against her and sigh with relief as Sokka turned and let out a rather humorous noise of alleviation as he hugged Suki, who smiled and returned the embrace. Zuko stepped forward then, expression cautious.

“Alive… meaning?”

It struck Aang that he hadn’t actually seen Sasuke himself and thus was only able to confirm this in the broadest sense. But as he stood there, a frightening thought occurred to him; did Azula’s mark only work if he was alive? What if it worked when he… wasn’t? Aang shook his head, knowing that such pondering was only going to drive him crazy. He partially ignored Zuko’s question, instead saying, “Azula’s with him at a teashop back down the road this way.”

He turned to lead the way back that direction just as Sokka said, “Wait. Isn’t that him??”

Aang squinted down the road and saw what he realized was a figure. The figure was moving very quickly their direction and seemed to have some sort of load in their arms. A moment passed before the black hair and outfit told Aang that Sokka’s guess was correct and he smiled.

“Well, guess I don’t have to take you to him, since here he is.”

But as Aang stood there, watching Sasuke quickly move their way and saw what was actually in his arms, that smile faded in an instant.

* * *

Sasuke’s jutsu had done the job perfectly, highlighting in his mind the occupation of the sprawling streets that stretched for kilometers around him. It hadn’t directly told him who exactly was where but instead had bounced images into his head of the people about, their size and their groupings. The seven smaller than adult forms had stuck out to him like a sore thumb and he had broken into a spring in that direction without a moment’s hesitation, lifting Jin and carrying her with him.

Very fortunately, the group wasn’t far from the teashop he had been staying in and as he saw them just on the other side of a small bridge, he urged himself to run even faster, though he was already moving far faster than a normal human could move.

His own speed and deliberateness were a surprise even to him; why he was so concerned with the wellbeing of a girl he had only known for a morning was beyond him, but he allowed his unbidden emotions to rule his actions. Jin couldn’t die, he wouldn’t let her. He was distantly able to remember that he had indeed been trained in medical jutsu of at least a moderate variety but as he raced through the streets, the hand signs, the names, the functions all mixed in his head in a completely useless mess and he grit his teeth in anger at himself. He hated the feeling of being useless and it was even more frustrating now.

Within the blink of an eye, he was before his companions. He watched all their faces morph between surprise, relief and concern, but he ignored all but one, his eyes seeking Katara. Sasuke found her instantly and approached her, speaking quickly in regard to Jin’s condition by way of greeting.

“She’s been burned badly in her midsection, deep enough in the middle to bleed. I don’t know what it’s hit or what’s damaged at this point.”

For a moment, Katara’s expression simply was simply stunned as her mouth moved wordlessly before she gestured to the ground in front of her shakily.

“Lay her down.”

Sasuke did so, and Jin whimpered as her body touched the cold stone, her eyelids flickering rapidly and Sasuke tried to ignore how pale she looked as he straightened. Katara knelt by the girl and moved her hands over the ghastly wound, water rushing from the nearby river to bend to her will, probing and moving over the burnt and bleeding tissue. She looked up to Sasuke then, her expression tight and worried.

“I don’t know, Sasuke, this is deep damage. Ordinary water will only be able to heal so much…”

Sasuke gestured to her.

“Try,” he said. Katara stared at him for just a moment too long, her expression deepening in worry and with a touch of sadness before he shouted at her.

“Now!!”

She jumped and swallowed before taking a deep breath and beginning to work. Sasuke watched her for a moment before turning away slowly, wiping a hand over his mouth as he did. It was the most awful feeling, knowing that there was absolutely nothing he could do to help Jin’s plight. He closed his eyes and his hand moved to his hair, running fingers against his scalp and he ground his teeth together.

_Worthless._

“Sasuke… what happened?”

It took Mai’s words for Sasuke to remember that he was once again in the company of his allies and he turned to look at them all. Any relief or joy that might have been felt at the reunion was gone from their faces, replaced with varying degrees of fear and worry, and as Sasuke looked at Toph’s face and saw the pained dread there as she remained close to Ty Lee, he realized something.

_She thinks I might have done it._

Swallowing deeply, he spoke quietly, his words biting in the cool morning air.

“I used an ability I have access to called Susanoo to survive the fall, but the impact knocked me out. I was moved indoors by an older man who was worried what might happen if I was turned over to the authorities. I woke in a bed in a room off the teashop.”

He gestured to Jin who he was relieved to see was still breathing as Katara worked feverishly.

“She was there when I awoke. She wasn’t like the other citizens who were there when I crashed into the street, she didn’t want to sacrifice me, she didn’t think I was some kind of demon and she didn’t treat me with some kind of malevolence for… what I was.”

It was impossible not to keep the undertone from his voice and he knew that his deeper meaning was clear. It was hardly the time to chide any of them for his treatment in earlier days, but the contrast was too striking not to take note of.

“Then, Azula arrived.” Just saying those words sent a twitch into Sasuke’s face that pulled the edges of his mouth into a venomous scowl.

“I should have seen it coming,” he growled. “She… she saw me and Jin when she entered the shop. I had fallen over and Jin was helping me up. And I guess that was a little too much for her highness.”

Zuko looked down at Jin’s gently shaking frame, a sick look passing over his face. Sasuke also realized that of all of them, the look that Zuko was giving Jin was nothing short of reservedly horrified, his face paled badly.

“My sister did this.”

There was nothing to say in response to this and Sasuke turned away from them all again, unable to look any of them in the eye. He was so furiously ashamed of his own willful ignorance; this danger Azula presented had always been there, yet somehow, Sasuke had always looked away from the possibility as though not acknowledging it would make it become a nonfactor.

_If not Jin, then who? Would she have eventually tried to kill Toph? Or Katara? Or any one of them just for looking at me the wrong way?_

Just the thought seared a pit in his stomach and he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

_I don’t need this… I didn’t need any of this._

Unable to help himself, he let out a frustrated snarl and began to pace, ignoring the startled reactions of several of his company. He kept trying to tell himself that this was much less of an issue than he was making it out to be; at the end of the day, his only concern was finding a way back to his world, not to be wasting time getting caught up in the lives of these people. He hadn’t even known Jin a full day no less, why was this making such an impact on him?

_She could die._

Before he knew it, he was standing over the injured girl and Katara, glaring down and unable to keep the aggression from his tone.

“Well?!”

He could see the exertion on Katara’s face and she barely managed to whisper out as she looked up at him, “I’m still not sure.”

As Sasuke’s fists clenched at his side and he opened his mouth, Toph was suddenly in front of him.

“She’s doing her best, Sasuke!”

As she shouted, Sasuke caught himself and took a step back, inhaling slowly. Aware of the worried expressions that were being cast his way, he made to turn away and try to properly calm himself, but only made it halfway on his heel before Toph grabbed his wrist. He looked to her and saw her looking up at him with a face glistening with tear tracks, though her face was steeled.

“You can’t do everything, you know.”

Her words combined with the gentle grip on his wrist did more to steady him than any mental self-reprimanding would have and he sighed.

“I know.”

He looked at her a moment longer before she drew back and slugged him in the stomach. As opposed to her previous punch at the cave, he saw this one coming but didn’t tense too badly for fear of hurting her, but just enough to keep her from summoning his breakfast back up his throat. It still hurt.

“And I thought I said,” Toph said through gritted teeth, “To _stop_ doing stuff like that.”

“What can I say,” Sasuke grunted. “This world’s just got it out for me I guess.”

She managed what might have been a small smile before looking down, her hair falling across her face and obscuring it from his view.

“I thought you might have been dead,” she said, her voice wobbling. Sasuke stared down at her before looking up to the rest of them; everyone was looking appropriately subdued, but Sasuke caught Ty Lee swallowing back some tears of her own. He had seen how she and Toph had been growing closer in previous days and he supposed there was some strong protectiveness emanating from her. He reached out and tousled Toph’s hair somewhat roughly.

“C’mon,” he said, trying to put something like levity into his tone. “It’d take more than that to stop me. We’ve fallen from just as high, remember?”

Her head came up then and he saw an aggressive smile there now, for certain.

“You bet I remember. One of these days, I’m going to get you back for that one.”

“You think I haven’t been sleeping with one eye open since that night?” Sasuke asked and she grinned. For a moment, the stress of the moment, the stress of everything dissipated as he smiled back at her before a snap from Mai broke him from the brief reverie.

“Oh, shit.”

Sasuke looked to see her staring with a fierce expression just behind him and he watched as Aang, Sokka, Suki, Zuko and Ty Lee followed suit, mixtures of fear and anger crossing their faces. And as he watched Toph’s face pale and she took a stumbling step back, he knew why. He didn’t even need to turn around to know what had caused this sudden shift in mood and he wasn’t even sure he wanted to.

“I wouldn’t bother with her, Katara, I think I dealt quite enough damage to make such efforts fruitless.”

Azula’s arrogant smirk was visible in her words even without Sasuke looking at her and he felt the fury that Toph had alleviated returning with a tidal force. Ahead of him, Suki was the first to step forward, her voice raised and angry.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! We just arrived and you’re already trying to kill people?!”

Sasuke listened as Azula scoffed. “Please. Some commoner girl will hardly be missed and I was only doing it to help Sasuke.”

Mai shook her head in furious bewilderment. “How can killing an innocent citizen be anything but detrimental?! To anyone?!”

“Innocent is a matter of perspective,” Azula sneered. “She was trying to steal him from me, and so I took matters into my own hands.”

Toph’s fearful gaze shattered into a visage of pure rage. “Sasuke doesn’t belong to anyone, you damn lunatic!!”

Azula’s tone became viciously condescending as she replied, “I wouldn’t expect you to understand. A stupid girl like you is hardly going to be able to comprehend my actions, and I won’t waste words trying to pierce that thick earthen skull of yours.”

Sasuke didn’t think he could have been more still as he listened to the words being fired back and forth, growing more and more angry as the situation became more and more dangerous.

“You can’t keep living like this, Azula!! Making enemies out of everyone you come across is only going to get you killed; can’t you see there’s more to life than just fighting and killing?!” Zuko was shouting desperately, but Azula’s reply hardly made it seem like his reasoning was being appreciated.

“You’re so cute when you try think, Zuko, but you shouldn’t try so hard, you might hurt something.” There it was that same smirk in Azula’s tone before it dropped into a pitch slightly lower, one dripping with menace.

“Now, I can tell Katara is deeply focused, but if you all can have her step away, I can finish what I started and we can get back to other matters.”

Sasuke felt the princess take a single step forward and he saw Toph take a frightened step back, her mouth pulled in a tight line while her face shone with anger. And as Azula approached from behind him, Sasuke put out a hand to his side, his palm facing her.

“No.”

He said the single word quietly, but with an imposing amount of intensity. Because he realized that despite with how helpless he felt to aid Jin, there was something he could do to get a handle on the situation. And Azula didn’t take another step after that and he did his best to picture her face; was she offended? Surprised? Hurt that he would order her from getting any closer? It didn’t really matter in the long run since his single utterance had done its job for the time being.

“But…” she started haltingly and Sasuke could tell his reaction, above any of the other valid points that had been hurled her way, had done a number on her confidence. “… can’t you see what she was doing to you? She was trying to take you away from me!”

Sasuke said nothing to this. Deep down, there was a feeling of dread that was starting to spread throughout his body as he realized that there truly might not be any way around this, any way to truly defuse this… whatever it was possessing Azula. He had spent all these days ignoring her to the best of his ability, letting her push her advances in the hopes that it would satisfy her for the time being, but things had only gotten worse, perhaps irreparably so.

Behind him, she took another step forward and he let some venom slip into his voice as he snapped. “You stay back. Not another step.”

He still refused to so much as look in her direction, but he was able to gauge her reaction by the expressions on everyone else. He saw wide-eyed looks of tenseness on the faces of all, but he noticed Mai in particular looking over his shoulder with a deep, deep sadness. He had to remind himself of just how long she had known Azula and no doubt was hurting now to see the princess in such a consumed and crazed state. Sasuke supposed that might have caused him to feel a little pitiful himself, but as his eyes tracked down to Jin’s fugue expression as she underwent what was potentially life-saving treatment, he felt that pity swamped immediately with a savage satisfaction in Azula’s hurt.

“Sasuke, please…” she muttered behind him, and he could tell that she was doing her best to stay in control and impose her usual air of superiority. She probably wouldn’t beg much more than that with an audience, and he could tell the pulling between dominance and desperation was wearing on her.

She remained silent a moment longer before saying loudly, “Can’t you see why I’m doing this?? I can see what she’s trying to do, and I can tell you’re being tempted!”

Azula let out a shaky laugh that was quickly covered up by her following words as she began to slowly move towards him. “I’m not blaming you, it’s not your fault! But if you’ll just let me kill the bitch, then the problem is removed entirely; you don’t have to worry about her seducing you or trying to—”

Something within Sasuke’s mind snapped and he couldn’t keep himself from acting on it. Moving in a sharp turn, he pulled his arm back and swung it across his body; the open flat of his palm connected with the side of Azula’s face and there was a terrific crack as he struck her. Her head snapped to the left and she went sprawling in a heap on the ground. Realizing that he hadn’t been breathing, Sasuke slowly inhaled and blew it out in a slow breath as he watched Azula slowly pick herself to her hands and knees in slow recovery after his slap. She faced away from all of them and though Sasuke couldn’t see her face, he imagined that being humiliated in quite this fashion would hopefully be enough to keep her quiet for at least a moment.

There was a stinging sensation on his palm as he opened and closed his fist a couple times; he knew that if he had put more effort into the hit, he might have taken Azula’s head clean off her shoulders, but as it happened, Sasuke didn’t want anyone dying just then. He turned back to the group and saw the wide eyed looks now even more stunned and shocked. Zuko and Mai had both taken steps forward, but they both looked deeply unsure of what to do. Suki and Ty Lee had hands over their mouths, and Toph had her mouth open. Through it all, Sasuke did catch Sokka nodding for a moment with a look of distant satisfaction on his face, though he quickly looked away as Sasuke’s gaze passed over him. It was the deeply saddened look on Zuko and Aang’s faces that stuck with Sasuke the most however; it was a look that told him everything purely through expression. Maybe Azula was too far gone, it said. And Sasuke imagined that she very much might be.

The only person who hadn’t reacted was Katara and she gave a gasp that took everyone from the moment and attention moved tentatively to her. She slowly removed shaking hands from Jin’s midsection and Sasuke saw that the injured girl had passed out. Katara herself was trembling all over and looked very drained, and he could tell that whatever she had done had taken a great deal out of her.

“I’ll… need more time,” she managed to get out between exhausted breaths. “But… she’s okay. For now.”

It was as though a cork had been pulled in Sasuke’s gut and a rush of anxiety that he hadn’t even truly realized was there rushed out of him. He closed his eyes a moment and then opened them, speaking in a tone that was much more reflective of his usual persona.

“We’ll take her to Pao’s teashop. I have a friend there who will want to know she’s safe and should grant us all room for the time being.”

There was a rumble as without a word, Toph drew up a slab of earth from beneath Jin and floated it into the air at waste height. She turned her head expectantly towards Sasuke.

“Where exactly is this place?

Sasuke turned to point out directions, but to his surprise, Zuko walked up, looking almost embarrassed. “I know where it is.”

Raising an eyebrow at him, Sasuke asked, “Are you sure?”

Zuko shrugged his shoulders, grumbling back. “Pretty sure.”

The group began to move then, Toph moving along Jin’s resting form behind Zuko towards the bridge that would take them deeper into the city and towards perhaps a place where they could finally earn some respite. Aang and Sokka moved to support Katara who seemed dazed on her feet and not able to move too well on her own accord. Sasuke considered thanking her as they passed him, but held his tongue. There would be time for that later, and anything that might exacerbate the situation just behind him was something to avoid.

Speaking of, as she walked by, Mai stopped in front of him, fixing him with a hard look, her eyes dancing with worry.

“And you two?”

The group stopped a moment to look back at where Sasuke hadn’t moved and to where Azula had moved to a kneeling situation, facing adamantly away from all of them, her expression a mystery. Sasuke flicked a glance back at the princess and replied in a hard voice.

“I’ll handle it.”

Ty Lee stepped forward, a hand closed in a tight fist over her chest in a stark show of her anxiety, her eyes wide and somewhat desperate, “Maybe someone should stay just in case—”

Sasuke moved his eyes to her and she stopped talking immediately.

“I’ll handle it,” he repeated and this seemed to be enough to make her not want to reply, though he watched as tears leaked from her eyes.

Toph spoke quietly.

“What’re you gonna do?”

Sasuke heard an almost eager edge to her voice and saw that same hidden hunger on her face, and he knew then what she was hoping he would say and do. But Sasuke wasn’t going to kill Azula, he had no plans for that. But this was something that couldn’t be postponed any longer; he should have dealt with it days ago.

It was clear though on the faces of his allies that there was a concern that Toph’s unstated wish was something he would carry out; Sasuke met Zuko’s eyes and saw that fear reflected perfectly there. Despite whatever monster she had become, he couldn’t bear the thought of losing his sister. Putting all the assurance he could manage into his words, Sasuke softly said, “Don’t worry.”

His affirmation seemed to relieve Zuko’s immediate worry and the Fire Nation prince swallowed and nodded, starting to lead the procession again without another word. Sasuke met the eyes of each and every one of them that passed by, letting gazes of fear, of worry, of anger and frustration catch in his own dark eyes. But there was nothing more said and they all continued over the bridge and down the street before moving out of sight.

Left alone in the near dead silence of the morning, Sasuke readied himself and turned.

He looked at Azula where she knelt, her head still turned away. He looked at her dark hair that danced gently in the breeze and moved his gaze towards the ground.

“I’m sorry I had to do that,” he started. In actuality, he wasn’t sorry at all, but if appeasement was something that needed to happen to keep her constrained in an at least somewhat sane state, it would have to do. “But I felt I had no choice. What you did was… inexcusable doesn’t even begin to describe it. You’re out of control. And you need to be stopped.”

He brought a hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes in a weary frustration; truly, he couldn’t believe that he was having to deal with this.

“You continue down a path like this and things will only get worse. You’ll make more enemies, and your decisions will have worse consequences. You’re no longer untouchable as royalty, eventually, you may be taken in by some form of authority and punished accordingly. I don’t even know if that won’t happen for this, but if it does, you should know that—”

He was cut off then as Azula spoke, her voice far-off and almost floaty.

“Did it feel good?”

Sasuke didn’t know what to say to this. He wasn’t perfectly sure what she meant, but he had an idea and he very badly hoped he was wrong. Ahead of him, Azula turned her head slightly, though not enough for him to see her face.

“It did, didn’t it? It felt good.”

Still, he couldn’t reply and she finally turned to face him and when he saw the look on her face his heart sank. There was no humiliation or anger for him striking her and in front of several witnesses, no resentment or hate as he imagined he might have seen.

Her expression was nothing short of hungrily aroused and Sasuke was barely able to keep himself from stepping back instinctively.

Azula’s eyes were wide and burning, her mouth stretched in a broad lustful grin. He could only watch as she rolled onto her hands and knees and began to crawl in his direction, her voice shaking with something that he couldn’t quite identify.

“I know I deserved it. You want to do it again? It might feel even better,” she said, her voice practically a purr. Her expression only deepened in its greed as she no doubt saw the trepidation in his eyes. For all her movements and attitude suggested, she likely knew just how much control she had over the situation.

“Stop,” Sasuke growled as she drew nearer. Azula reached the space just before him and pushed herself up to her knees, smirking deviously up at him as she did.

“Or what?”

She reached out and touched a finger to his thigh, biting her lower lip as she dragged it slowly down towards his foot. Sasuke felt her nail even over his clothes and he tried to keep the hairs on the back of his neck from standing up.

“I’ve told you, Sasuke, I can be whatever you need me to be. Everything I do is for your own good, even if you can’t see that.”

As her finger moved inside his thigh, Sasuke reached down and grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her roughly to her feet.

“I don’t need this… you and your damned obsessiveness!” he snapped. “It’s making you a menace to everyone near you, and I can’t have you trying to kill people just because of some insane assumptions you’re making!”

Azula inclined her chin and only looked into his eyes passionately. “I know you’re trying to look out for me, but I promise, it’s alright. I’m fine taking these risks if it’s for you.”

 _She’s not listening,_ Sasuke thought furiously in his head. _She’s hearing me, but she doesn’t care. How can I make her understand??_

Slowly pulling the hand that was gripping her wrist in her direction, Azula brushed her lips against the back of his hand, letting out a noise that could have been a quiet moan as she did.

“I’ve never felt so sure of anything in my life,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “You complete me, Sasuke, and I’ll do anything for you.”

Letting out a snarl of frustration, Sasuke tore his hand away from her and reached out, grabbing a fistful of her hair, his face an angry scowl. Azula gasped at his movement but as he looked on, her eyes widened as her smile did the same; she was waiting for more, Sasuke realized.

She wanted more.

_Fine._

As he held her with one hand, he drew back with the one that was free and punched her in the gut. She curled around his fist and let out a groan as she made to drop back to the ground. Sasuke didn’t let her as he let go of her hair and grabbed her by the throat just under her chin. Despite how it might have appeared, he felt as though he had never been less in control of anything. There was a savage satisfaction that striking her gave him, but he knew deep down this was something she was enjoying all the more.

He stared into Azula’s glowing eyes and felt her pulse hammering against his fingers. She slowly relaxed against his grip and reached out with a hand, brushing the side of his face.

“More,” she whispered.

His frustration breaking, Sasuke roared and slammed her in the mouth with a fist. Her eyes tightened in pain as she was thrown back to land hard on the stone steps just near the bridge. Sasuke watched her as he tried to keep his now intense breathing in check as he watched her slowly pick herself up with a wince. Her eyes moved to him as blood trickled from her mouth and she spread her arms at her side.

“We can keep going if you want,” she said and Sasuke spun away, not able to look at her a moment longer. There was some psychotic wall he was unable to break through, not with words, nor violence. He felt truly at a loss and he felt his mouth pull in a disgusted scowl as Azula practically giggled behind him.

“You can stop looking so ashamed, so… worried,” she said softly, her voice alive with a quiet venom. “You can beat me until I can’t move. You can use me to vent all your anger. I will protect you and I will keep you safe.”

Her next three words drove a final stake of resignation and regret into Sasuke’s heart.

“I love you.”

But then, suddenly, he knew how to beat her.

Turning back to face her, Sasuke allowed the same derision and hateful tone that Azula used so often to speak to Toph or Mai or anyone really to slide into his voice.

“You don’t know what love is.”

All at once, her whole body seemed to tighten and her smile, while still present, seemed to freeze as though her face wasn’t sure the emotion it was ready to convey next.

“What…?” she asked, in a voice just above a whisper, and Sasuke knew that in just moments, he had gotten her on the ropes.

“I said, you don’t what love is. So, how could you possibly love me when you’re not capable of loving in the first place?”

Now the smile began to fade, melting off her face with a slow and steady pace as Azula ever so gently began to shake her head.

“No, no, I know what love is, I know that I know what love is, how can you say that…?”

Sasuke allowed himself to adopt a small, but vicious smile. He wanted her to know that he was enjoying this.

“No, you know what _possessiveness_ is. All you’ve ever known are things to take, to steal and to own. Things, or people, it doesn’t matter. You remember, in all your life you were always able to take what you want, and use it for whatever you wanted, because of who you were. Ty Lee and Mai? Tip of the iceberg. How many people have had their lives ruined because of your desire to possess?”

He took a step forward, feeling himself regaining control and relishing the look of denial and hurt that was now evident on her face.

“That’s what this is. You don’t love me. You’ve just finally found the one thing that you haven’t been able to take for yourself, and you’ve confused it with love. I doubt you’ve felt love at any point in your wretched little life.”

“Stop it,” Azula finally choked out. Her attitude had taken a complete reversal and Sasuke knew that his plan was working. There was a last step he would need to take though, and he had a rotten feeling about in the pit of his stomach. But this was the only way to ensure that Azula would keep from getting even more out of control at least until this fateful day was out. After that, things could be settled honestly.

“But maybe I’m wrong,” he said. “Maybe this is love.”

The hope that blossomed on her face matched the tears that swam into her eyes and for a moment, Sasuke almost felt guilty.

“But if this is love… if that’s really what this is, you won’t hurt anyone else on my account. I don’t care what you think is happening, if you think I’m being seduced or tempted, it doesn’t matter. It’s not your place to know what’s best for me.”

“But… she was trying to--!”

As Azula made to interject, something occurred to Sasuke, something that he very much now had as an advantage over her, a bargaining chip that he could use as leverage of a very significant sort.

“Another word out of you, and I’ll remove the sign on your chest.”

Azula’s eyes bulged then and she took a step back and pressed her hands against the spot where he had marked her as though doing so would keep it there forever.

“Please,” she whispered and Sasuke inclined his head at her, narrowing his eyes.

“Have I made myself clear?” he asked sharply, watching as Azula’s expression stung of panic.

Sasuke tentatively waited, hoping quite badly that this would work. He watched as a flood of different emotions passed over Azula’s face before she finally swallowed, tears finally spilling down her cheeks and she nodded shakily.

“Say it,” Sasuke growled.

Azula reached across her body with one arm to hug herself as she slumped where she stood, turning her head down. If he hadn’t been so furious and disgusted with her, Sasuke thought he might have felt some pity for how alone she looked.

“It’s not my place. I won’t do something like this again.”

It was quite possibly the best he was going to get for the time being, and for now, there were more pressing matters at hand. Sasuke knew that he would have to return to this matter in the future but for the time being, he didn’t have time to be constantly looking over his shoulder for Azula’s severely dangerous antics.

“We’re going to go back and meet up with the others now. If Jin is awake, you’re going to apologize to her.”

As Azula looked up, Sasuke could see that pride once again shining in her eyes and he knew that despite the simplicity of what he had just requested, for Azula, it was likely akin to stabbing herself with a rusty knife.

“But… I…” she started to sputter out and Sasuke raised a finger to point at her chest. She caught his meaning and looked back to the ground, muttering as she did.

“I’ll go back with you and apologize to her.”

There was something deeply satisfying about listening to her repeat his orders out loud and Sasuke gave a nod of finality, feeling significantly drained from the whole affair.

_Not how I would have wanted this morning to go._

He directed the finger he had been pointing with back towards the bridge where the others had crossed minutes ago; Azula, saying nothing, trudged in the direction he gestured, head lightly bowed and not meeting his eyes. Sasuke waited until she was a good dozen yards ahead of him before falling in behind her, letting out a quiet sigh as he did.

Damn it all with this woman. He thought back to when he had blatantly volunteered to rescue Azula from the hands of her father at the behest of Zuko, and shook his head. How different things might have been if he had never stepped foot in that palace. And all because some old ghost had instructed him to help the Avatar at all costs.

This remembrance was almost enough to stop him dead in his tracks as he walked over the bridge. Aang had named him as Avatar Roku, but from what he understood, this should have been impossible. Where was that old man now? What would have been his instruction now?

Sasuke looked up to see Azula risking a look back at him. He got a glimpse of her curious and regretful eyes looking at him burningly before she looked back forward quickly. Sasuke stared into the back of her head, feeling exceptionally lost in that moment.

_Azula… what exactly are you?_

He remembered how much more… normal she had been even just days ago when they had spoken on the deck of the airship. She had seemed much more relaxed, much more human. But at some point between then and now, a monster had been let loose; Sasuke imagined that monster had been within her all along, and based on reactions and comments he had picked up from Aang, Katara, Mai and others, it had shown itself before.

Sasuke could only walk along behind her and wish he had all the time in the world to think of a solution to this now looming problem.

* * *

The teashop just came into sight as Jin sat up sharply on the slab she was being levitated on, gasping as though she had just had her head forced underwater for a long period of time. Mai jumped as she sucked in air loudly and their procession slid to a halt as everyone turned to regard the injured girl.

Mai found herself looking at the girl through what she imagined had been something close to Azula’s eyes. Obviously her psyche was much more stable and sensible than the princess’s, but she still took some interest in trying to envision just what Azula might have seen that had made her literally try and murder the poor girl.

As Jin’s wide eyes flicked about in an attempt no doubt to figure out where she was, Mai had to admit first and foremost that she was very pretty. During her time at the women’s academy back at the capital, she had become quite accustomed to scoping out the other women in her class, primarily for the purpose of seeing who, if anyone, could potentially steal Zuko away from her. All of those girls had been a great deal like her and Azula however, mostly arrogant, or sullen, or bitchy to the most obnoxious degree, Ty Lee as a rare exception. So Mai wasn’t quite sure what to make of Jin, with her gorgeous eyes, pretty face and despicably perfect hair.

And then, as if on command of the laws of universal irony, Jin locked eyes on Zuko, her face dawning with recognition and happiness.

“Lee? Is that you? I thought you left the city!”

Mai was not the only one who looked to Zuko then as the prince flushed and grit his teeth. Jin looked down at her mobile bed of rock and slowly hopped off of it; as she did, she clutched her midsection, crying out in pain. Mai felt a dangerous heat on the back of her neck as Zuko dropped down to a knee next to her and caught her. Slowly, he helped her upright and she looked around, her eyes curious though her face still reflected the pain the wound inflicted upon even just as simple a movement as that.

“Where am I? What happened?”

No one seemed willing to speak up and Mai caught Ty Lee’s gaze and the acrobat shrugged somewhat helplessly. Mai knew exactly how she felt and saw the same look on the eyes of everyone else.

_How do we explain something like this to her?_

When there was no reply, Jin looked to Zuko.

“Lee? What happened?” she repeated and Zuko closed his eyes a moment as a look of defeat passed over his face. He opened his mouth, about to likely launch into an explanation that Mai found herself very interested in hearing before Suki spoke up first, her calm and focused voice adding a layer of clarity to the entire situation.

“You were attacked with firebending. Sasuke, whom I don’t know if you’ve met, took you to Katara here…” she gestured to the waterbender who gave a weary smile and a weak wave. Jin returned the gesture in bemusement before looking back to Suki who continued, “… and she fixed you up as best she could. You’ll need more attention, but she managed to save your life.”

Jin looked back to Katara, her eyes glistening.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Katara inclined her head, but Mai could tell she just desperately wanted to be able to lie down and rest after the sever expending of her abilities.

Resuming her looking around, Jin asked, “Where _is_ Sasuke?”

“So you know him?” Toph asked as she lowered the slab of stone to the ground. Mai noticed the sharp edge to the earthbender’s voice and though she saw nervous looks on Aang and Ty Lee’s faces at the response, the biting tone seemed to be totally missed by Jin, who responded without looking at Toph, smiling as she did.

“I was one of the people who found him after his abrupt landing in the street. After he was moved, I watched him while he rested and was with him when he woke up.”

There was a flicker of annoyance on Toph’s face and Mai would have been lying to herself if she hadn’t felt a similar feeling herself, though she made sure to hide it. She had silently noticed Zuko watching her with the same almost pleading expression she knew that she had given him more than once since the revelation on the cliffside, and Mai knew that a great deal of the boiling heat in her gut was due to what had just happened. It was clear that Zuko knew Jin already, albeit under a different name. And it also wasn’t lost on Mai that the girl seemed in no great hurry to release him from her grip.

_Oh, so now you’ll look at me, Zuko? After all that cold-shouldering, now you’re willing to give me the time of day again._

It was no surprise to Mai that she felt no such urge to return his look, venomously happy to give Zuko a taste of his own medicine.

Meanwhile, Toph had crossed her arms and was muttering rather loudly, “I’m sure you didn’t need to do all that, he can take care of himself.”

The hardly veiled bitterness was once again completely missed by Jin who shook her head, “Oh no, it was my pleasure! Someone had to watch him, and well, he’s not exactly an eyesore to look at.”

She smiled broadly and Mai was reminded of Ty Lee, both in the wide smile and the complete obliviousness to the situation at hand, though she was sure even her friend would have taken a hint by now. Toph’s grudging expression darkened significantly then and the earthbender turned away, fists clenched over her crossed arms.

Sokka’s eyes were dancing about and he seemed to have readily sensed the tension that was coming form well more than one place and he cleared his throat with an unnecessary amount of noise.

“All right, well we should wrap up this little trip, I’m thinking; my sis needs a bit of a lay down I’m thinking.”

He looked at Jin with a look of mild concern. “And I don’t know if you should be walking around just yet yourself.”

Jin looked down at her feet and tested her weight, wincing slightly as she did. Without warning, Toph stormed through their group, heading resolutely towards the teashop, snapping over her shoulder as she did.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

There was a pause as everyone looked after Toph and Mai felt what she supposed was a pang of baneful humor as she saw the surprised look on Jin’s face at Toph’s passing words. Looks were exchanged once again, but without another word, the group began moving towards the teashop once again and Mai did her best to ignore Zuko helping Jin on her way there.

Further down the street, there looked to be a sizeable amount of people milling about, arguing in a cluster of raised voices. Few seemed to notice their small group pushing into the teashop however and with the dim lighting and pleasant smell emanating from inside, Mai felt almost immediately somewhat refreshed and relaxed, even if her insides were still deeply at work due to a great many things.

“Is it as good as you remember it?” Jin asked with a smile and Mai turned to watch Zuko swallow nervously as he replied.

“Yep… just the same.”

“Though I could only wish it were under better circumstances that this reunion could take place.”

At the older, familiar voice, Mai turned with the rest of them to see an older, bearded man coming out from behind the counter. She hadn’t seen much of him since she was a child, but it was still impossible for her not to recognize the face and stature of the Fire Lord’s older brother. He was smiling gently and there was a slight shimmer in his eyes.

Zuko’s face seemed to crumple and fall to pieces in a single moment; he slowly let go of Jin who sat gingerly down at one of the tables, looking more than interested in watching this exchange as did they all. Mai watched Zuko’s hands shake as he took a step towards his uncle and dropped to his knees, face locked on the ground.

“Uncle… I have no excuse. I was so, so wrong, and I’m so sorry for all the trouble I caused you. All your love and attention that I threw away… I don’t…”

His voice shuddered and broke then, and he took a moment to collect himself.

“I have nothing I can say or do to make it up to you, but I just want you to know…”

There was a gentle thud against the floorboards of the shop as Iroh dropped to his knees as well. Zuko barely had time to look up before the older man’s hands were on his shoulders and Mai saw tears streaming down Iroh’s face.

“I know, Prince Zuko… I know.”

He wrapped him in a tight hug then and after a moment, Zuko loosed a sob before burying his face in his uncle’s shoulder.

Despite her present grievances with him, Mai still found a surge of emotion in her gut; she saw that same emotion reflected on Ty Lee’s face, hands over a smile with tears streaming down her cheeks. The rest of the group seemed not quite to understand quite the gravity of everything, and Mai realized she didn’t either, but she still saw Katara’s tired face smiling warmly as she put an arm around her brother’s shoulder, he too smiling as he held Suki’s hand. Aang had the broadest smile of all as they quietly watched the exchange.

Something near a minute might have passed before the two of them slowly broke apart, still holding one another as they stood. Sniffing, Iroh was the first to break the silence as he seemed to try and add some levity to the whole situation, even as he kept an arm around Zuko’s shoulder, the prince looking as happy as Mai had ever seen him.

“I suppose I owe you all thanks. Reuniting with me nephew is probably the greatest gift I could have ever received. And on such a day no less.”

Aang bowed his head, still smiling widely. “It was our pleasure, sir. We haven’t forgotten the debt we owe you; you’ve lent us your aid many times.”

Iroh inclined his head in return. “To help the Avatar is to help the natural world, and I can’t express how overjoyed I am that this young man…”

He ruffled Zuko’s hair.

“… has been turned in the right direction as well.”

Suki spoke up then. “Thank you for hiding Sasuke. If put in a bad predicament, I don’t want to think what might have happened if… well…”

She trailed off, scratching the back of her head and Iroh gave her a knowing look. “Believe me, my dear, I know.”

He gave a look towards the entrance of the teashop, a look of apprehension passing over his face as he did.

“Did he not come back with you?”

Sokka looked the same way with a tight look on his face. “He’s still out there. With Azula.”

A very grim air settled over the previously quite uplifting setting. Iroh reached up to absently squeeze Zuko on the shoulder as everyone’s attention now stuck to the door.

“I’m thrilled to see you again, Prince Zuko, but… traveling with your sister? I can’t say as I particularly approve.”

Even despite his now surely soaring soul at being reunited with his uncle, Zuko still looked like it was difficult to try and defend her, and a look of sadness passed over his face.

“When she turned on father, I thought it could be the moment she needed to turn for the better. But… she only seems to have gotten worse.”

“I must say, I was surprised when that news began circulating through the grapevine,” Iroh remarked. “I quite believed it to be a lie, a façade perhaps, but one of the Earth Nation spies recently reported back that she had been at one of the island festivals in recent days, stirring up chaos and openly decrying the Fire Lord. I still wasn’t convinced, but when she walked through that door not an hour ago…”

He shook his head and looked to Zuko. “What convinced her to turn against Ozai? If there was ever anyone she was loyal too or frightened of, it was him and I would never have expected for their paths to differ so suddenly and so violently.”

Ty Lee’s voice came out of almost nowhere, the girl herself looking surprised she had spoken up even as she said the words.

“She was trying to save me.”

She saw Iroh’s eyes on her and she cleared her throat to explain.

“The Fire Lord had gotten the idea that a certain ritual would grant him some immeasurable power if he cut ties and killed someone he truly loved as a sacrifice.”

Iroh’s expression became one of shock and then dipped deeply into one of sorrow as he closed his eyes. “The Ritual of Sozin’s Rites…”

Zuko looked at his uncle in bewilderment. “You knew about this ritual??”

Looking truly broken, Iroh leaned against the counter, saying quietly, “I read about it during my studies before the time I served in the war. It was so entirely absurd a concept though, I never thought… I can’t believe my brother would stoop so low.”

“He was ready to try it,” Mai said, picking up the story. There was something about seeing Iroh look so sad over Ozai that bothered her greatly; didn’t he understand what a monster his brother was? There was no time to pity him. “We were with Azula when he told her of his intentions. She was ready too, to sacrifice herself for his wishes, but Ty Lee and myself took a chance and attacked him and his guard, in an effort to save her. When Ozai injured Ty Lee, something seemed to snap with Azula and she attacked him as well. We probably would have all died then and there if…”

As the common denominator of so many of their most recent stories stuck in her mind, she stopped and bit her tongue. Iroh seemed more than capable of piecing it together then and he nodded knowingly.

“He seems to be quite something.”

As if on cue, the door swung open and Azula herself stepped inside. The overall reaction of the room seemed to erupt in tension almost immediately and Mai could more than understand why. Sokka and Suko both moved to stand in front of where Jin sat, with fierce looks on their face; Azula’s victim didn’t move from her chair, but her face tightened with fear as she looked at the princess. Mai eased herself next to Ty Lee, whose expression had become very passionate and nervous indeed, and squeezed her friend’s wrist. She prayed that no more violence would come, but she knew deep down, it was always an option with Azula.

The princess had her gaze down, not meeting anyone’s eyes, and though her usual aura of imposing intimidation could still be noted, there was a subdued expression on her face. Mai thought she saw some blood leaking from the corner of her mouth and, despite what Azula had done, Mai couldn’t help but feel a wave of anger towards Sasuke if he really had thought that beating some sense into her was the only option. That said, Azula didn’t seem badly injured beyond that, though who knew just what had transpired in the minutes before.

Sasuke appeared in the doorway behind her a moment later; he looked up and down the street back the way he had come before stepping inside and closing the door. He looked around at everyone one by one, his gaze unreadable. As his eyes passed over Jin, he cleared his throat; Azula gave a slight jerk as though she had been startled and then muttered towards the ground.

“I’m sorry I attacked you. I thought you were someone else, but I was mistaken.”

Mai could only stare in utter befuddlement. She didn’t know if she had ever heard Azula apologize in her life and for her to do it now, in front of so many people…

_Sasuke… what did you do?_

She saw the corner of Sasuke’s mouth turn up just slightly as her thoughts passed by. From where she sat, Jin raised her hands in a gesture of goodwill, though her eyes still glinted with fear.

“That’s alright,” was all she managed. Silence fell awkwardly over the room then a moment before the backdoor of the shop opened up and a wiry man who must have owned the place stepped inside.

“Ah, everyone is here, quite good, quite good.”

He jerked a thumb back the way he had come and then gestured towards the ceiling.

“The guest rooms above should more than accommodate you all if you are in need of rest, a change of clothes, or need to wash up. Iroh and myself will be making breakfast in about a couple hours if that’s something that interests anyone.”

Despite the tension that still remained on high alert, Mai couldn’t help but smirk as Ty Lee’s stomach growled next to her. Seeming to want to move the situation out of any potential danger zone, Aang stepped forward, nodding.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Pao.”

He gave another smile to Iroh and was the first to walk through the door that led to the stairs to the floor above. Sokka and Suki followed suit, helping along Katara who looked better but still quite fatigued. As Toph fell in line behind them, Mai took a step towards Azula.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and we can get some ice on that—”

As she reached for the princess’s shoulder, Azula’s eyes suddenly flared to life and she swatted Mai’s hand away.

“I don’t need your help,” she snapped, a moment before strutting towards the stairs as well, her haughtiness once again on full display. Mai watched her go and gave Ty Lee a worried look that was returned. She slowly turned her gaze to Sasuke who likewise was watching Azula leave.

“Sasuke…” she asked hesitantly. “What happened between you?”

He said nothing for a long moment before murmuring distantly.

“You two should freshen up and nap if you need to. Long day ahead of us.”

* * *

Sasuke pretended not to be paying attention to Mai and Ty Lee as they watched him intently for a few seconds before moving to head upstairs as well. He remained where he stood, standing silently as Iroh and Zuko exchanged words, promising to catch up as Zuko excused himself to sleep for the little time that was allotted to him. As he was left alone with Iroh and Jin, he turned his eyes to the girl.

“Are you alright?” he asked and she looked at him with a small smile.

“Thanks to you and that waterbender. I have to say, this is not how I expected this morning to go.”

Sasuke sighed. “Nor I.”

There was a bout of silence once again before Jin slowly pushed herself to her feet; as Sasuke moved forward to help him, she waved him off, clutching gingerly at the makeshift bandages that wrapped her wound. Sasuke remained near her, remembering the amount of blood she had lost and just what that might mean to her recovery, but she waved him off.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll need to clean it yet, but I don’t know much good will come of fretting over it for the time being.”

“You’re sure?” Sasuke asked and she gave him a look. He wasn’t convinced she was alright, but it would be up to Katara to give her another look over after she was rested.

“I’ll be fine. Just think I’ll… lie down for a bit.”

She bid farewell to Iroh and to Pao, who was returning to the kitchen, before giving Sasuke a last smile and a little wave before excusing herself from the room. Sasuke couldn’t help but return the gesture as silly as he felt doing it before he and Iroh were left alone.

He supposed that it shouldn’t have surprised him that Iroh started their dialogue with a joke.

“Well, you saved her life for a first date, not too shabby.”

Sasuke chuckled darkly. “Hardly. She doesn’t know who Azula is, or even Zuko, does she?”

Iroh shrugged. “Probably not. But that’s something she shouldn’t have to worry about right now.”

Turning to him, Sasuke leaned against one of the wooden beams that arose towards the ceiling. “Zuko kept looking at her. Do they have a history?”

“I’m afraid so,” Iroh replied. “That probably is something they’ll both have to deal with at some point.”

 _Mai as well,_ Sasuke thought. That was a conversation he would be glad to not be a part of. After several long moments though, his thoughts inevitably turned towards what was undoubtedly on everyone’s mind, though the topic seemed to have been thoroughly avoided.

“If you’re really as involved with the city’s defense as you say, I think you’d better give me a rundown of what we’re expecting,” he finally said. Iroh looked at him closely, peering with a tired gaze that told Sasuke this was someone who had been reading people for a long time.

“You intend to fight?” the old man asked and Sasuke crossed his arms.

“I was told by my brother that my best bet on fully recovering myself and returning home lies in this city. If Ba Sin Se is destroyed, it throws a nasty snag in my plans.”

Iroh fixed him with a frown then. “And on account of doing the right thing?”

Turning and fixing the old man with a glare, Sasuke growled back, “Make no mistake, this wasn’t my war. I don’t know what the Fire Nation did to the Earth Nation or vice versa or where the Water Nation plays a factor, or anything. Doesn’t really make a difference to me who comes out on top since leadership here is a bunch of bickering bureaucrats anyway, according to you.”

He paused, a great many images flashing through his mind. “But I’ve developed a sort of… feud, shall we call it with your dear brother. And on top of that, his plans interfere with mine. He’s got someone on his side just as tough as me and I intend to stop them in their tracks, whether I get help from this place’s official leadership or not.”

Iroh cocked his head then.

“This person you speak of with my brother, who is he?”

Sasuke waved a hand. “You wouldn’t know him.”

He walked up to the older man then, crossing his arms. “Now, are you going to tell me what we’ve got so far? As far as I can tell, we don’t got a lot of time.”

There was a pause as Iroh sized him up and finally sighed.

“Let’s take a walk.”

Sasuke raised a finger. “If this is a buildup to some life lesson or lecture…”

Iroh laughed as he approached the door.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m going to introduce you to the general. Then, we’ll see if there really is any chance at all to save the city.”

Sasuke followed him out into the street where the pale sky was lightening, minute by minute.

“How long would you say we have? I haven’t seen any comet just yet, but I can’t imagine Ozai’s fleet will take too long getting here.”

There was an uncomfortable pause before Iroh told him what he had been fearing.

“I’d give us four or five hours. Then, we should see those airships on the horizon.”


	22. Chapter 22

** Chapter 22: Burning Sky **

Had it been any other day, the sun’s rise into the sky would have continued to pale the sky until the morning shone with a bright blue radiance that would have lit the day with extraordinary splendor. On this day, however, such a sight was nothing more than a wish.

Finally passing close to the atmosphere, the comet crossed paths with the sun on the light they shone and the sky was plunged into a dark haze as though night had just fallen again. But the fervent orange glow pierced the sky with a driving and angry heat, lighting the clouds with a dark glow as the massive object smeared a path across the sky. Whole villages emptied into their streets, cities saw their populations drawn to the windows and doors as the entire populace beneath that dark star looked up to see what had become of their sky.

Sozin’s Comet burned its way overhead, ever relentless as it chased its path.

* * *

Obito stared out into the surreal sky as he leaned against an iron fixture in the planning room aboard the Fire Lord’s airship. This was to be the day then, the day of reckoning that would have come regardless of his exposure to this world. The comet wasn’t visible just then behind the layer of clouds that seemed to wrap the earth, but there was a strangely claustrophobic feeling as he imagined the massive celestial object roaring its way just above the atmosphere.

Use of the Kamui had gone quite well, despite a strange tug that Obito was certain had just been the side effect of using it for the first time in a while, but quite frankly, this was the only positive swing towards his current predicament.

The early morning had passed with great speed following his evacuating of Ozai off of the capital ship. The Fire Lord had been quite furious with leaving the vessel to be overtaken and explode, though he had acknowledged it likely the only prudent course of action in that instant. He had insisted Obito accompany him to his airship where aboard they moved to the planning room to await the arrival of Ozai’s lead military individuals. As they had waited, Obito had silently regarded the Fire Lord’s overall demeanor and quickly noticed that, despite his clear efforts to remain in control, he had been severely rattled by the night’s previous events.

“Are you sure you’re alright to go ahead with this?” Obito had asked and Ozai had snapped him with a look as though he had forgotten he wasn’t alone.

“Yes, of course. Reclamation of the city and the security of my brother just have me… perhaps a tad on edge,” had been the reply. “On edge” might have been a bit of an understatement and even with the introduction of about a dozen highly ranking individuals into the room, Ozai had still seemed quite harried despite his best efforts to hide it.

Obito had to remind himself that it didn’t matter a great deal to him what the mental state of the Fire Lord was; if the city was secured, and Iroh and the other prisoners of war were found to be safe, he could put his cooperation with the Fire Lord behind him and move forward. The faster this could all be resolved, the better.

“… and we imagine that the drill, despite its earlier failing under Princess Azula’s command, can be used to funnel our troops into the city, should we be able to get them close enough,” a female general was saying before a laid out map of what must have been Ba Sing Se.

“I am inclined to agree with General Ixa’s plan,” a much larger and imposing man was saying. He was so enormous in fact that the top of his helmet seemed to brush the ceiling. “Relying on the very limited amount of toxin that we have would be foolish and a gambit at best; its effects wouldn’t last long enough even if we laid it over the entire city. Within a matter of a half hour, their bending would be restored and any plan surrounding would be shot. If we are able, however, to filter men into the drill from its rear entrance…”

He indicated this spot on the map with a massive finger.

“… then we can have their enhanced firebending burn a hole through the drill itself and then we will have a direct line into the city for a ground assault. These men will be able to keep the defenders of the city occupied until such a time as the airships reach a place where we will be able to attack the city from above as well.”

“It’s simply a matter of splitting their attention. Once we have both our men on the ground and in the sky attacking the city, they won’t stand a chance,” said a man who Obito believed was in charge of the air fleet itself.

If Fire Lord Ozai didn’t directly respond to this after several long seconds, it might have been believed he hadn’t been paying attention. A single hand was playing with the hem of his sleeve and his eyes were almost distant.

“The wall…” he finally murmured and the collection of people around the table exchanged looks.

“Yes, your highness,” General Ixa finally said. “The wall is a problem for certain. It has remained the strongest opposition to our forces since the war’s commencement. With no way to destroy it feasibly, we must simply rely on a coordinated assault to work around the admittedly large snag it presents.”

There was a pause and she looked around at her fellow commanders who gave her reassuring looks before she said, “I’m sorry to be frank, your highness, but there really isn’t anything to be concerned about. With the Comet on our side, there is no reason why—"

“There is another issue at hand,” Ozai growled quite suddenly and his commanding men and women looked to him with intent and open curiosity. The Fire Lord stroked his beard before continuing.

“New players are afoot that must be accounted for.”

The massive general shifted his weight, his armor practically rumbling as he did. “We have read the reports that the Avatar as well as… well, your children are very likely to be on the front line of this conflict.”

“Not them,” Ozai snapped almost dismissively. “And I thought I made it clear that those miserable disappointments were not to be mentioned in my presence, General Ako?”

His great stature and size notwithstanding, General Ako bowed his head in a sign of penance. Ozai continued to glower for a moment before carrying on, walking slowly around the table and his generals, and speaking in a tone that made it very clear this was perhaps the most troubling to him of all the potential obstacles between him and winning the war.

“I have been made recently aware of some people residing within our world that don’t exactly conform to our idea of how the natural order works. They have shown themselves to be unique, dangerous and quite powerful. Most importantly two of them have shown to be in complete opposition to me and will stand between us and our conquest of Ba Sing Se.”

The generals exchanged glances of confusion and concern; General Ako spoke up then, “What exactly… are they capable of?”

Ozai fixed him with a deeply annoyed gaze. “Please, general. When your battalions arrived at my palace on the night of the storm, did you really think that my daughter on her own had completely destroyed the back foyer and surrounding yard, leaving dozens of my royal guards in pieces?”

Seemingly, being reminded of this event caused a look of tension to seemingly pass over all the commanding officers present. This seemed to satisfy Ozai who gave a short nod before continuing.

“You’ve all surely noticed that I have a guest with me, though you’ve all done a proper job in not questioning my choice of company.”

_Damn._

Obito supposed he knew that he would be turned to at some point but it still caused him a slight squirm of discomfort as all eyes turned to him.

“This is Obito,” Ozai explained. “He is one of the three of these unique individuals who has fortunately shown the maturity and wisdom enough to not side with terrorists. He is as well, exceptionally powerful and will no doubt be of much help to us in our endeavor to liberate the city.”

The Fire Lord spread his hands in what must have been a gesture of a request.

“Could you perhaps inform us all of what we might expect out of these two? I’ve had my experience with the younger firsthand, but I’m certain you still are a better one to talk on the subject.”

For a moment, Obito stared back as the Fire Lord and each of his generals watched him closely. He pondered just a moment as he thought over just what revealing such information might mean for his world as a whole before shrugging it off. These people would never set foot within it nor would anything he told them be of any real consequence to him in the long run. He supposed if it was, he could always just kill them later.

“Sure,” he said and took a step forward. On the table over the map were several small figurines, used for indicating troop massing and size. Each one might have stood for a hundred, or a thousand soldiers, but as he gently picked up two of them and stood them up, he supposed it would have been just as well. It would take quite an amount of these soldiers to pose a threat to anyone like an Uchiha.

“Sasuke and Itachi. Brothers, and both very dangerous, as aforementioned.”

Obito looked over the map and set eyes on the wall of the city that was supposedly such an enormous hindrance by way of conquest.

“Any one man of this world they can defeat. Any one hundred men. Likely any one thousand men.”

“No one could take that many Fire Nation soldiers and survive,” General Ako growled, his voice rumbling over the room like grinding iron. Obito pointed a finger at him.

“No one you know of.”

He directed his gaze back to the map as it was lit by the darkish red coloration blazing through the sky outside.

“I can’t guarantee I can stop both of them. Sasuke is stronger than I expected and I know Itachi is perhaps one of the greatest warriors our kind has ever seen.”

“So you cannot stop them and we cannot stop them,” Ozai said in a low tone. “Then there is no hope? We are to call off our assault?”

Obito caught the sarcasm in the Fire Lord’s tone and he realized that if he hadn’t been a part of this effort than the Fire Nation’s advance would have still worn on as hopeless as it might have been. He ignored it as he clarified.

“If even just one of them is there at this wall, you will never be able to get troops inside the city from the ground or the air. Any airships get too close and they’ll be blown from the sky, and anyone coming from the ground will be torn to pieces.”

“Then we must attack on both fronts at once, as we’ve suggested,” the commander of the fleet snapped, sounding impatient.

“Hopeless,” Obito said, shaking his head. “Even if you sacrifice the manpower necessary to either force troops in through this drill or drop them from your airships, they wouldn’t be in the city long before Sasuke and or Itachi deal with the threat on the outside before turning their attention to the inside.”

“So, do you have a suggestion or are you implying that we are defeated before we even attack?” General Ixa asked him, much more reserved in her tone. Placing a finger on the thick line that indicated the wall’s presence, Obito replied.

“It would seem to me that the primary issue with invading the city is this wall. It can be defended easily, and your only point of breach is this tiny entrance provided by this drill, assuming getting troops through it even works.”

He took the following silence as confirmation of what he said and continued, “If you distract the brothers on one front, the other front becomes subject to the Earth and Water Nation’s combined forces. On the ground, they might be badly outpowered by your men and women, compliments of the abilities this comet will provide, but there will still be a great deal of resistance, and what good is all that firepower if you’re funneling everyone through this puny entrance?”

“Is there a point in highlighting our potential failure?” Ako asked testily.

“Only in suggesting another plan that might work,” Obito shot back. “This toxin, what is it precisely? And how much is there?

The sudden change in topic seemed to strike the general off guard, but he replied after only a moment. “It is a gas that is tightly compressed in canisters. Upon inhaling it, a bender will find their chi points blocked off for a brief period of about a half hour we’ve found after testing. During this time, they will be unable to bend whatever element they previously were able to maneuver.”

“And how much of this do you have? It sounds like not enough to make a useful impact?”

The general shook his head. “We’d be able to run a sweep over the top of the wall and over into the city about a half kilometer in is all. The defenders affected would be out of commission until the toxin wore off.”

“And what’s the downside to this?” Obito asked.

“The timing is suspect. We’ve had benders able to return to form from as early as fifteen minutes to an hour later. The half hour is just a rough estimate. We also can’t be sure of how quickly the gas will dissipate, potentially meaning we’d be exposing our troops on the ground to it, or if it did dissipate, it might get high enough to affect the benders aboard our airships before it becomes undone.”

Obito looked at the map as he considered this. Even with all he knew now, there was only one way he was able to proceed and that was through guessing just how the brothers would play a factor. If they were both there, they would be side by side, no doubt; Itachi would want to ensure Sasuke’s safety, and Sasuke would never want to be taken from his brother’s side following their little reunion. He thought things over and then he did so again, and again, until he knew he had ironed it out as much as he was possibly able.

“Put troops on the ground here,” he said, indicating a point several kilometers from the wall. “Have them move towards the wall and prepare for an assault on the area by the drill. They will have prepared for this and will have defenders at the wall to defend it. Keep the airships just behind them, close enough to be near enough for an attack but far enough that attention will remain on the ground forces.”

He circled the area around the drill.

“I’ve spent time with Sasuke, and know how he’ll react. He wants to defend these people, he’s developed connections with them. He’ll be there to meet the ground forces head on.”

“And what makes you think he won’t watch for our airships while the Earth and Water Nation soldiers focus on our ground assault?” inquired the air fleet commander.

“Because they won’t be able to,” Obito answered. “Because you’re going to drop your entire supply of toxin over the wall as the good general here as speculated.”

Ako shifted with some clear grievance towards this idea. “That’s a one time gambit, and we won’t get another advantage like that if we waste it immediately.”

“You won’t need to use it again,” Obito said as he looked at the wall drawn on the map, visualizing it in his head, remembering how it had looked when he and Iroh had approached it days before.

“How can you be sure?” General Ixa asked, but her voice was already distant to Obito who was already deep in thought.

“Because it won’t be necessary after that,” was all he said.

* * *

Katara was just finishing redressing when she heard a sharp knock at her door.

“Come in.”

The door creaked open to reveal Toph standing there, looking quite reinvigorated after what might have been a nap of her own. Katara’s had been quite necessary, the couple hours she had taken being enough to give her a great spurt of energy, no doubt also fueled by their current predicament and the stress that implied. Katara didn’t even have a chance to ask how Toph was doing before the earthbender snapped quite quickly.

“Do you know where Sasuke is?”

There was a pause as Katara only blinked as she processed the question and finally answered with a slow, “I don’t know.”

Pulling a face, Toph crossed her arms and muttered, “No one does.”

“What do you mean ‘no one does’?” Katara asked as she shook down her sleeve and moved away from the wardrobe that occupied the guest room.

“I mean exactly what I said,” Toph said somewhat aggressively. “I’ve asked everyone where he is, except for Azula who isn’t answering her door. And nobody has any idea. No one saw him come upstairs and lay down and no one has seen him since we all came up earlier.”

Thinking back to earlier, Katara remembered what she could from the brief meeting that she had nearly passed out during.

“Did you ask Jin?” she finally asked, believing that she had been the last one in the room with Sasuke and Iroh. Pulling another face, Toph asked, “Why would I? She’s not with us.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Katara said hesitantly, “Well, she was apparently with Sasuke for a good bit when he landed here and was unconscious. They seemed to be hitting it off okay and she was the last one in the dining room with him earlier.”

It struck her then just how much saying those two sentences caused her stomach to churn quite suddenly; ahead of her Toph grit her teeth.

“She was?”

Without another word, she turned and looked as though she were about to go charging off in search of Jin before the very topic of their conversation came around the corner, looking in worriedly.

Jin was carrying herself very gingerly and still looked quite worn out from her ordeal, but there was still a very vibrant look in her eyes that echoed of the concern that carried over in her voice.

“Hey, have either of you seen Sasuke?”

“We were actually just talking about that,” Katara started but before she could get much further or try and rationalize the sudden rush of annoyance that came from seeing Jin, Toph spoke up quite abruptly.

“Yeah, I’ve seen him. He’s doing good, said he doesn’t want to be bothered though,” the earthbender said rather loudly. Katara stared at her as Jin looked down to her as well.

“Oh. Okay. Well, I just hadn’t seen him since I woke up and—”

“Yeah, he’s fine,” Toph practically barked. Jin bit her lower lip and her brow furrowed nervously but she said nothing else and made to head back the hall, giving Katara a short wave as she did. It was on the tip of Katara’s tongue to call her back as she really needed to look over her injury again, but just then, she found she couldn’t really stand being in Jin’s presence.

“Why did you lie?” she asked Toph quietly when enough time had passed for Jin to be out of earshot.

“Because, like I said, she’s not one of us,” Toph snapped. “She doesn’t _get_ to stick her nose into issues like this.”

Toph’s abrasive attitude gave Katara pause for a moment before the actual gravity of what this was all about stuck with her. If Sasuke was missing, it could mean any number of things; he could have been taken by the authorities of the city while they were sleeping, he could have run off, he could have gone to do something totally rash… it was rather mentally detrimental just to think about.

“I’m going to look for him. He could be in trouble.” Katara heard herself speak in halting tones but as she made to walk quickly to the door, Toph quickly moved to stand in her way.

“No,” the earthbender growled then, her voice a fair bit menacing in its own right.

“What are you talking about?” Katara asked, starting to feel properly uneasy at how the girl was acting.

“You don’t get to be worried about him either. Not you of all people.” Toph’s tone had dropped into a tone that was as threatening as anything Katara had ever heard, and she found that it was actually scaring her.

“Toph, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Of course I’m worried about him, why wouldn’t I—”

She didn’t have a chance to finish before the rock laced foundation at her feet suddenly sprang up and knocked her to the ground before returning to where it had originally been laid. Wincing at the pain in her arm that she had just fallen on, Katara looked back forward, eyes wide as Toph stalked towards her.

“I…. truly can’t believe you, Katara. After everything you did, you’re really going to pull that shit right in front of me?”

Katara was at a loss for words as Toph stalked over to stand above her, glowering down with pure venom.

“After all those times I defended him, all the times I had to stand between him and your crazy ass while you humiliated him, degraded him and tried to kill him, _now_ you’re going to come along and act like you can just sweep him up?”

Closing her eyes as she realized just what Toph was insinuating, Katara closed her eyes and groaned.

“Toph, that isn’t it at all,” she said carefully. There was a part of her, an obnoxious and sick part of her that was laughing at the prospect of taking the chance indeed and trying to mill for Sasuke’s affection; who was Toph to tell her she couldn’t? But the common sense in her rose up, reminding her that it could never be between the two of them anyway. Sasuke was far too unpredictable, far too mysterious, far too dominant, far too aggressive, far too malefic…

It was a moment before Katara realized that the things she was listing in her head were all things she found most alluring about him. Still, she knew she couldn’t have Toph against her here, not now of all times.

“I just want to know where he is too,” she said simply. “That’s all there is to it. For better or worse, he’s one of us, and I owe it to him to keep track of him, especially after all she’s done.”

She did her best in keeping her voice factual and unemotional in the hopes that it would alleviate Toph’s sudden sour mood as well as the fact that the earthbender couldn’t see her cheeks flushing. There was a pause as Toph glared in her direction, impossible to read in regards to whether or not she had been appeased.

“What happened between you two at that cave?” she finally asked and Katara grit her teeth as her heart suddenly began to pound. It had of course been one of the most intimate moments she had shared with any of them, Sasuke aside. She had said things that she would never have said had it been more than just the two of them and it had been the first time she had openly allowed herself to feel something more than hate for him. And it had been such a surprise to feel all that there had been, brewing beneath the surface beneath all her enmity.

“He saved my life, Toph,” Katara deflected testily. “I had just recently come to when you all found us. He took me out of my clothes to prevent me from catching cold, if you must know, but this was all when I was asleep and it was of no real consequence to anyone.”

Toph had indeed bristled at this mention, but Katara had purposefully revealed that rather personal detail in an attempt to derail the girl’s train of thought and get her mind of whatever assumptions she was making. After a long silence as Katara waited with bated breath, Toph finally spun away towards the door.

“You don’t need to worry, I’ll find him,” she snapped and was gone. Katara let several long seconds pass before she breathed out a long sigh quietly.

It had of course been stupid not to see why Toph had grown so angry so quickly; since his earlier days, she had been the one to open up to him and to openly show him something of kindness and understanding. Katara had seen them both sleeping together against the fallen tree on the beach, hiding not from herself the vehement fury the sight might have instilled, but rather the warm feeling it gave her deep down. She had always known what Toph clearly had picked up on early, that Sasuke was hardly someone to be so openly hateful of, that there was much more to him than danger and hostility.

Katara clenched her fists as she knew that it had been just that singular deviance in her thinking, the lack of heart and understanding she had shown him that had been granted to just about everyone else, that she had used to shelter her own feelings. There _was_ something very attractive about him, something that drew her in like a moth to a flame. But with their overall situation, the war and her feelings for Aang, she had hidden behind hate. It had been quite easy to do. Certainly easier than dealing with these feelings now.

Muttering a curse that would have made even Sokka redden at the ears, she got to her feet and went to look for Jin.

* * *

Before they had even neared the wall, Sasuke had picked up on the changing color of the early morning sky. By the time they were near its base, there was a definite shift away from the pale blue coloration that had accompanied him earlier and when he had scaled the wall to its top and stood looking out over the vast plains of desert and desolation before him, the color above had taken on a sickening, orangish hue. On the horizon, a mass of clouds was gathered, and behind them seemed to be where the light was shining the thickest, hidden though it was behind the blanket of black clouds.

He didn’t need to bring it up in passing to Iroh who made no mention of it either. And as they walked along the length of the wall’s top towards a large gathering of troops, he was certain everyone within that city who gazed upon the sky now knew exactly what was happening.

Instead, he asked quietly, “How many people are in the city?”

Iroh’s face pulled in what looked like deep pain as he replied in a tone just as quiet, “We’ve imagined several thousand have left in pilgrimage elsewhere in an attempt at evacuation, but most have stayed based on what we know. I would guess at around two hundred thousand people remain.”

_If we don’t stop them, this will be genocide._

That single thought was enough even to give Sasuke pause as he considered it.

They neared the group of soldiers and as Sasuke looked past their initial number he realized that the armored men stretched far down the length of the wall, positioned just center to where Ozai’s fleet had been situated in the southwestern waters. Iroh raised a hand as they came within earshot.

“General Gokan,” he called out and a broad-shouldered man with a mane of blonde hair turned. He raised a hand in reply and barked an order to the men surrounding him and they dispersed hurriedly, heading up and down the wall’s length. He matched Iroh and Sasuke’s stride and they came face to face moments later.

“It is good to see you, Iroh,” the general said in a voice like cracking stone. “Our time is nearly up.”

“Any word from the leadership council?” Iroh asked and Gokan scoffed as he crossed his arms.

“Petulant children. I was there a half hour ago to find they had made little to no headway in approving a plan of attack or defense. I imagine they will be in those chambers bickering like frightened schoolchildren until the moment the alarm is raised, then they will all scamper to their safehouses and wait to surrender.”

Iroh grunted, “I had feared that.”

The general reached out and put a hand on Iroh’s shoulder. “But we need not their permission nor planning. I have been arranging defensive lines and commands with Commander Ungo of the Water Nation this entire past evening.”

His expression softened as he regarded Iroh gently. “It is my understanding that you are a refugee and are no more required to defend this city than a passing iguana parrot, but based on all the help you have provided us with, I must ask—”

Raising a pair of weathered hands, Iroh smiled. “You need not finish that thought, General. I will see this through to the end, no matter how dire our situation may become.”

Gokan’s face spread in a wide smile. “We are thrilled to hear it.”

Finally, he looked past the older man and lay a pair of scanning eyes on Sasuke. It was clear the general was doing his best to size him up and Sasuke made no attempt to break eye contact, though a piece of him relished the idea of letting his Sharingan flash a moment to give the general a good jump.

“First time I’ve seen you outside the company of your group of friends and here you have someone I don’t believe I’ve met,” he finally said. Iroh half-turned to gesture in both their directions.

“General, this is Sasuke. Do not let his age fool you, he is more powerful than any bender I’ve ever met.”

Gokan spent a long moment of quiet simply staring Sasuke up and down, but then surprised Sasuke quite suddenly by smiling and extending a hand.

“I’m delighted to hear. Any help we can get is more than welcome.”

Sasuke took the man’s large hand and shook it, still quite surprised that the general had made no attempt to inquire just what Iroh had meant by his brief, but deeply differential vouching.

“There is more,” Iroh said and the general returned his attention to him. “The Avatar lives and has just arrived in the city.”

This seemed to be just as shocking news as Sasuke guessed it might have sounded as the general blinked several times and swallowed slowly before slowly breaking into a fresh smile.

“If so… that is quite wonderful news indeed.” He put a hand over his mouth and slowly paced away a moment, clearly taking in this information before turning back, a wildly excited expression on his face. “This could be just what we need! Before it was as much a shot in the dark as anything, but with the Avatar… surely things can be turned in our favor!”

Iroh’s expression was much more reserved as he added, “General, while this is indeed tremendous news, the Avatar is still a boy. We cannot hang all the success of winning this war on his shoulders.”

Gokan waved hastily, “Of course, of course, we will do our part… but was it not written that it would be the Avatar who would strike down the Fire Lord in the days of Sozin’s Comet? Was it not foreseen that he would be Ozai’s downfall? Why the Fire Nation turned genocidal on the Air Nation in an attempt to stifle that very possibility?”

“Prophecy only gets you so far,” Sasuke said, before he even realized he had something to say. “If Aang can’t beat Ozai, then he can’t beat Ozai and it will be up to us to back him up.”

There was a very angry feeling deep inside him he realized that was furious of the prospect that so many people seemed to have with Aang, that you could just use him as you will, never mind that he was really just a kid. Both older man regarded him with a moment of silence, Iroh looking both surprised and impressed and the general seeming to regain control of his excitement, looking almost embarrassed.

“Yes, of course, nothing to be taken for granted…”

Returning to a state of overall stoicism that he had initially greeted Iroh and Sasuke with, he looked out towards the shroud of black clouds that seemed to drift ever closer. Iroh and Sasuke stepped up beside him and Sasuke looked closely with his Sharingan as aid, but could see nothing.

“So, the defenses are set?” he asked, and the general nodded, gesturing around him as he replied.

“We have our strongest benders atop the wall to bombard any airships as best we can with earthbending. Any ground assault will be met with a combination of earth and waterbenders as Commander Ungo has been able to funnel much of the underground irrigation of the city to a reservoir beneath us for them to draw from. We anticipate that if they are going to try and move on the city from the ground, they will try and enter through the hide of that great metal worm they used months ago.”

Sasuke looked down to see what looked like a massive drill of some kind jutting into the wall below, barricaded off with walls of earth.

“We can hopefully funnel them quite well there, so the main focus will be slowing their aerial advance and taking down their airships as quickly as we can.”

Taking this in, Sasuke nodded and continued staring out towards the horizon, intently glaring into the mass of clouds. Next to him, Gokan shifted his gaze down towards Sasuke and chuckled. “We probably have some hours yet, son, there’s no need to be quite tense just yet. When the alarms sound… well, then I think everyone ought to be wearing an expression like that.”

Sasuke looked to the general.

“When do the alarms sound?”

Gokan’s expression darkened.

“When little orange lights appear ahead of those clouds. Those will be the airships on their final approach, and that will be when our will is going to be truly tested.”

* * *

Sasuke stayed above a while longer before excusing himself and heading back down the wall, ensuring he mentioned to Iroh he would return. Had this last matter not occurred to him, he would have been perfectly content remaining atop the wall until the airships were visible on the horizon. But this was something that he certainly ought to deal with and he needed to do so now. Honestly, it should have been done the moment they all reunited, but Azula’s rather malicious escapades had caused it to slip his mind.

As opposed to the relatively empty streets that he and Iroh had approached the wall through, the dirt roads were now milling with people of all kinds. From individuals to families, people moved about in a state of reserved panic and fear, the changing color of the sky no doubt indicating what was coming. Sasuke had half a mind to shout at them and curse them for fools, telling them to flee the city before they were out of time, but he simply pushed his way through the mobs as he listened to frightened prayers, empty words of assurance and shouts of outright dread and anxiety. Everyone he walked by seemed to be completely and utterly resigned on a certain level that their home was about to be invaded again, and this time, perhaps destroyed.

Sasuke allowed himself a moment to feel sorry for the throngs of humanity that pushed about aimlessly, trying to find some solace in what surely seemed to be impending doom. To be so powerless, so completely useless in such a time of desperation was certainly a difficult thing.

_Though, if I have anything to say about it, they won’t need to worry all that badly._

There was no doubt in his mind that he could single-handedly annihilate Ozai’s forces on his own, if it came to that. Through use of his Susanoo, Chidori and perhaps Kirin, or many other jutsu available to him, the airships would be easily eliminated, and any ground forces would be a joke. It might be a balancing act of sorts, but should be quite doable; he had considered running out across the plains to meet them, but if he removed himself too far from the city, that could open Ba Sing Se up to sneak attacks from unseen forces and Sasuke knew he had to keep close to the city to ensure he could be in as many places at once as possible.

But the real issue was of course Obito.

Even since waking up in Jin’s care, Sasuke felt even more rejuvenated in his chakra and abilities, but how his engagement with Obito had gone prior, he knew that this would be a challenge regardless. Itachi had spoken briefly of Obito’s Rinnegan and that was certainly cause for concern, as it likely held more abilities that Sasuke knew he had to be ready for despite not knowing exactly what could be done with that eye.

It was not lost on Sasuke that he very well could die himself.

_Itachi…_

The name and remembrance of his brother kept coming back to strike him and stun him with the knowledge that his brother was in fact alive and here in this world with him. Through whatever means, they didn’t matter to Sasuke just then; just having his brother back in his life was a blessing he couldn’t even quite begin to qualify.

But Itachi wasn’t there, he hadn’t arrived in Ba Sing Se yet. And Sasuke couldn’t wait for him. If he arrived in time to aid in the efforts, that was all fine and good, likely even meaning they could secure victory as there was no chance Obito could stand up to both of them at the same time. But Sasuke knew that right now, on that day, he had to remain focused. He had a certain set of tasks before him to complete and the first on the list actually wasn’t win a war.

As if on cue, he heard a much more solid voice, one alive with determination and strain, echo through the throng of people as he pushed towards the street on which was Pao’s teashop.

“Would you people _move_ , some of us actually have places to be, and you all bumbling about like idiots is hardly helpful to that end!!”

The corners of Sasuke’s mouth pulled as he recognized Toph’s aggressive tone in just a couple words. Shouldering his way past a few more people, he caught sight of her short frame doing the same as him, but as he caught sight of her face, he stopped. Her expression hardly matched her annoyed and confident tone, and as he peered closer with aid of his Sharignan, he saw that she was actually shaking.

He supposed being blind in a mob of commotion and noise was hardly an enjoyable experience.

In the blink of an eye, he dashed through the crowd and lifted her up, one hand holding her back, the other under her knees. Before she had time to even explain, he had whisked them onto the roof of Pao’s building complex, no doubt leaving behind a few stunned individuals, looking around for the blur of color that had just knocked them out of the way in quite the speedy hit and run.

As he set her back on her feet, Sasuke watched her expression quickly try and cover up her surprise and earlier anxiety, and she crossed her arms, looking at him huffily.

“Where did you go?!”

It took a moment before Sasuke realized that he hadn’t told anyone that he had up and left. Scratching the back of his head with a wince, he shrugged sheepishly, a gesture she couldn’t see.

“My bad.”

“Your bad?! You didn’t tell anyone where you went!! You just split, we didn’t know if you had run off, if you had gone to take on Ozai and that Obito guy by yourself, or maybe you had—”

Sasuke reached out and put a hand over her mouth, cutting her off her stream of worries.

I went with Iroh to look over the city’s defenses.”

As she made no immediate reply to this, her fury seemed to abate rather quickly at his words and he immediately picked up on her apprehension as she quietly asked, “Is… does the city… is there even a chance?”

_She’s scared. Bad. She thinks this is a lost cause._

“More than you might have guessed,” Sasuke said gruffly and that seemed to perk her up just a bit. As she smiled softly, he sighed and reached out with one arm, pulling her to him in a sudden, tight hug. He heard her breath catch and he held her there only a moment before she slowly hugged him back.

“What was that for?” she asked breathlessly as he felt her hands against his back.

He sighed again. “I’m not great with affection and even less than that around more than one person. So, I figure I’d better do this now. Before we head inside and see everyone else.”

_Before I can’t do it at all._

She gave him a squeeze. “I like you too, you know. Just wish you weren’t such an asshole sometimes.”

He grunted. “Afraid that can’t be helped.”

Toph gently pulled away from him, but didn’t make to free herself from his arms. He looked down to see that her cheeks were red and he could feel her pulse hammering.

_Oh no._

There were too many problems with this. It was supposed to be just a crush, everyone had them, why did this have to happen now, not when—

It happened quite quickly then and he just had time to react. Toph moved forward with a jerk, moving her lips towards his and there was a brief, singular moment in which Sasuke weighed the two options, but his decision wasn’t difficult to make. Pulling his head just beyond her reach, her lips met empty air and she froze there, motionless for a moment. Then, tears burned at the corners of her eyes and she pulled away, clearing her throat as she pushed herself from him, standing and swinging her arms in a sad attempt to look nonchalant.

There was a great deal towards the situation he felt, emotions roiling inside him angrily, and though he knew now was not the time to deal with this, he knew he couldn’t leave it at that.

“Toph…” he said quietly and she spoke up quite quickly, her voice a high and lofty level that told him she was trying very hard to keep herself together.

“No, I know,” she said swiftly. “I know, that was stupid. I’m too young for stuff like that, right? And you and Azula have a thing. Or maybe it’s actually Katara. I know it has to be one of them. I’m sure they’re both much more your speed, trying to kill you and all.”

Her words grew more and more shaky and Sasuke put a hand on his forehead, closing his eyes. Just as with Azula, this truly was not the time.

“I mean, I sort of tried to kill you when we first met. Maybe I should have tried harder. And I know you’ve kissed Azula, maybe Katara too. That’s enough for you I suppose. I’m sure they’re both way prettier and grown up than I am, anyway.”

“Toph,” Sasuke tried to interject, but she was on a roll.

“I’d need to be older and probably more interesting. You’re super interesting and I really kind of like you, you know, and… I don’t know, I guess I just wanted to try. Sorry.”

That was the last of it before she turned away and opened the door that led onto the roof and walked down the stairs that led inside the building. Sasuke knew he heard a sob just before it closed behind her.

Sasuke spent a few long moments grinding his fingers against his temples with gritted teeth.

_Fucking damn it all._

He waited near a minute before heading down the way Toph had gone down, trying to keep himself from smashing the door to pieces as he closed it. He waited just inside for a long couple moments to get his mind back on track.

As he entered the hallway along which ran a length of doorways that surely led to the rooms that had been allocated to his companions, he neared the first one and pushed the slightly ajar door open.

Katara was inside, focusing intently on Jin’s midsection as both young women sat on the bed’s side; water was being drawn across the now nasty gashing scar that crossed over Jin’s stomach as Katara finished what she had started earlier that morning.

“It doesn’t actually hurt all that bad,” Jin was saying, chatting animatedly though it was impossible to tell if Katara’s focus was even allowing her to pick up on any of what was being said. “Just when I move or twist a bunch. It’s more like it’s just kind of always numb, I guess, but that’s better than it going crazy I guess and hurting like crazy…”

Sasuke politely cleared his throat, and even with that effort being made to interject as gently as he could, both of them still jumped sharply at his noise. The water Katara had been using to bend over Jin’s wound dropped against her patient’s garments, soaking into them as she got to her feet with wide eyes.

“Oh, Sasuke!” the waterbender said in surprise and Sasuke couldn’t not notice the enormous change in tone she was using with him since their spell in the cave. It was much rather like she was doing her best to treat him the same way she did the others which was certainly nice enough, but the accusatory implications Toph had made still stuck in the back of Sasuke’s mind and he found he couldn’t get too thrilled about this newfound way she was addressing him.

“How are you feeling?” he asked and Jin dropped the hem of her robes that she had pulled up from her midsection and smiled at him.

“Better, thanks. I think it honestly scared me more than anything. Katara here is quite the miracle worker though, she’s got me patched up pretty well.”

Not for the first time, the notion that Azula could have done a great deal worse had he not interjected stuck in his mind and Sasuke could do more than offer a tiny smile and nod before he turned to Katara.

“And you?”

She seemed surprised again at his question and directed a finger at her own chest as if to confirm that he was indeed referring to her.

“I know that healing work takes a lot out of you,” he clarified and her expression softened as she nodded, giving a sigh.

“Sleep helped. And there wasn’t as much work to do this time, just going to be a healing process from here on out.”

She cocked her head and looked out the doorway behind him, as though looking for someone. “Toph was looking for you I think, you should probably—”

“We’ve spoken already,” Sasuke said abruptly and she closed her mouth, nodding. Eager to move the subject from anything regarding Toph specifically and knowing that there was little time to waste, he inquired, “Would you mind letting everyone know I’d like to see them all downstairs?”

Katara moved her eyes to his then and he could see the confusion there, but he made no effort to elaborate beyond saying, “That means you as well.”

She opened and closed her mouth couple times before managing, “I… I suppose I can… but why…?”

“Thanks,” he said, cutting her off and exited the room without another word. He trusted Katara to handle this request dutifully, likely in large part due to the fact that he was certain her curiosity would hardly allow her to not know exactly why he would make such a request. He walked quietly down the remainder of the hallway, hearing the occasional voices behind doors as he moved past; there was Aang and Zuko having a hushed conversation about something, Mai and Ty Lee speaking in slightly raised voices about something that was clearly a tad consternating, and while he made no effort to know whether or not Suki and Sokka were indeed behind a particular door, a couple sounds he heard in passing indicated it probably was them.

Sasuke moved down the wooden stairs that creaked underneath his feet as he reentered the main floor of the teashop. He found it deserted, all the tables and seats devoid of anyone else; he supposed a dine in at a restaurant was probably not on anyone’s mind just about then. Pao himself seemed to be absent, not just from the main dining room, but from the shop itself; Sasuke poked his head into the kitchen, the storage closet and the access hall leading to the back door, but the owner was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he had gone out in search of Iroh, or perhaps after cooking for Sasuke’s companions, he had taken to the streets himself, perhaps coming to the conclusion that an escape attempt was truly the best idea. Regardless, his absence was precisely what Sasuke could have hoped for and he worked a couple uses of jutsu to ensure that the only two entrances to the shop were locked tight. What was coming was rather personal and he didn’t want anyone stumbling in on it.

Drawing near a table, he leaned against it, his palms resting on the smooth wood as he waited for his company to join him. It didn’t take long; Aang and Zuko were downstairs in no more than a minute followed closely by Suki and Sokka, their slightly disheveled appearances pulling a mental smirk into Sasuke’s head. Katara was down next, hands ready to steady a potentially unstable Jin who was waving off her attempts to help, but still seemed rather wobbly. Mai, Ty Lee and Toph were next, all with looks of confused suspicion; though he knew she couldn’t see his expression, Sasuke still avoided Toph’s eyes as she entered the room.

Azula was the last down, a slow and deliberate pace about her as she nearly sauntered into the dining room. She had changed out of her royal robes that she had been wearing for the majority of the trip, opting into a spare outfit rather similar to Jin’s robes, though her hair had been done back up in its usual fashion. Sasuke found her dressing in more simple attire rather jarring and he blinked a moment at her before she looked to the floor, avoiding his gaze. She kept her head down despite the distantly resentful and disgruntled look, joining the group as they gathered around where Sasuke stood.

 _Good,_ he thought to himself as he noted her rather ashamed reaction to seeing him _,_ rather like a dog that had been harshly scolded. _Hopefully she’ll behave herself._

They all gathered up in a sort of semicircle around him, Jin and Sokka being the only two to pull up chairs, the others remaining on their feet. The looks on interest, curiosity and suspicion on their faces told him that they were indeed surely wanting to know exactly what the nature of these summons were. As they all settled in, Sasuke looked around at each and every one of them before sighing. This was going to be obnoxiously difficult.

“I’m sure you’ve all looked outside by now,” he started with and the ensuing silence and grim expressions that surrounded him confirmed his statement. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

“I was out with Iroh looking over the city’s defenses. Military command estimates we only have hours before the Fire Nation fleet will be visible at which point things are going to likely get worse before they get better.”

He figured that honesty was likely his best course forward, primarily because he couldn’t think of any lies that might aid in securing what he was about to ask.

“I fully intend to aid the city’s defenders and beat back the Fire Lord’s invasion. It will be a task, trying to make sure I can help on all fronts especially with how juiced the Fire Nation’s benders will be, but I’m confident my assistance might very well prove to be a turning point to what was assumed to be a losing fight.”

“What if Obito shows up?” Azula asked coldly and Sasuke regarded the almost challenging gaze she was directing towards him.

“Then I’ll deal with him,” he said and she made no further comment.

“What’s this about, Sasuke?” Zuko asked finally, and Sasuke supposed he couldn’t stall much longer. He sighed again through his nose and rubbed the bridge of it slowly, trying to find the best way to articulate what he wanted to say.

“I suppose,” he said slowly, “that time has given me something I didn’t quite expect to have, not after a relatively brief period and not after some snags along the way.”

He moved his eyes amongst them all again and shook his head, a smile passing over his lips at the sheer irony of all this.

“But I have to be honest and speak my mind here. It stands to reason that I’ve grown to develop…

_Just say it._

“Feelings, for all of you, all to certain extents and levels, but I suppose that’s made me what you might call concerned for your wellbeing.”

He saw widened eyes and looks of bewilderment at his words and he tried to ignore them. The gravity of what was truly about to happen made speaking then become much easier and he heard his own voice darken as he continued.

“At the end of the day, this is a war. Before the day is out, a lot of people are going to die. And like it or not, it just so happens that you’re all a bunch of kids.”

As expected, this issued some backlash and Toph, Mai, Katara and Suki all began to raise voices angrily and he held up a hand.

“Please let me finish.”

Through some miracle, everyone quieted, though angry expressions across the board were now leveled his way.

“I don’t say that as an insult,” Sasuke said calmly. “You’re all young. You’ve dealt with things many adults will never have to deal with, things that should never have been put on your shoulders and things that will haunt you for the rest of your life.”

He saw sobering expressions pass over Aang, Katara and Sokka’s faces though the still angry expressions he saw on the faces of others seemed to challenge him.

“This will be as dangerous as anything you’ve had to face up until now, likely a great deal worse. These aren’t little hit squads coming with the intent to capture. Ozai will no doubt have given every single one of his soldiers the purest form of command he can muster: to give no quarter. These are benders that will be exhibiting great increases in firepower and they will be coming at you with intent to kill.”

Zuko made to step forward, fire crackling his wrists.

“Me and my sister are some of the best firebenders to come out of the Fire Nation! You think some footsoldier would be able to give us a problem?”

Sasuke shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe they underestimate you, or you underestimate them. And regardless, there are thousands coming. You think you can handle them all at once?”

This seemed to cow Zuko enough to cause him to back down, looking still angry, but now at war with his own thoughts, no doubt pondering Sasuke’s words.

Putting her hands on the back of Jin’s chair, Suki spoke quietly and deliberately then, “I know what you’re about to do, Sasuke.”

“Oh?” he asked and as she looked up to meet his eyes, he saw sadness in her gaze, hidden behind determination.

“You’re going to ask us all not to fight,” she said through tight lips. “You’re going to ask us all to stay behind and not chance getting hurt.”

Everyone looked to her and then back to Sasuke, every pair of eyes expectant in their own way. Sasuke met a few of them in turn before sighing yet again.

“You’re right,” he said and there was an immediate rush of noise and movement. Ty Lee shook her head and turned away, throwing her hands up as Mai crossed her arms and gave him a hard look. Suki rolled her eyes and looked away as she made a derisive noise while Sokka lowered his head and rubbed the back of his neck, looking very perturbed. Aang looked nothing short of deeply sad, a sharp contrast to the complete disgust that was on the faces of Azula, Toph, Zuko and Katara. Of the four of them, Katara was the one to speak up in a loud, angry voice, very reminiscent of how she had treated him prior to his saving her life on the _Azulon_.

“You have to be joking! This will decide the fate of all the Nations, not just this city! This isn’t just some conquest for Ozai, he wins this day, and he wins the war!”

“I know,” Sasuke said, his voice remaining calm and Zuko took up the angry annunciation of their feelings as Katara glared at Sasuke with disbelief on her face.

“My father has to be stopped! We can all fight, we _will_ fight! We’re not helpless, you know! You call us kids, but we’re stronger than you think!”

“I know,” Sasuke repeated and silence fell then as he allowed himself to be regarded with a wide variety of emotions, most of them bordering on outright rage. He allowed the immediate moment to pass before resuming speaking. He had a feeling that this wasn’t a fight he was going to win, but he at least wanted to leave everything on the table if this truly was it.

“You’re all incredibly strong in your own way and right. I just want you to know that… it’s not necessary. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone now. The things you’ve done, what you’ve had to suffer and sacrifice, you’ve made it this far. Aang is alive, he is hope by very nature of his being, if I’m understanding the way of your world, anyway.”

Sasuke realized then that there was a lie he could indeed tell, one that might make something of a difference.

“I will be more than enough to win this day. Obito caught me off guard on the ship, that was all. Now that I know he’s a player, I’ll be ready for him and the rest of Ozai’s forces don’t stand a chance. You all think you know what I’m capable of, but I’m going to give them hell unlike anything they could expect.”

He clasped his hands at his waist in front of him.

“But I won’t be able to keep an eye on all of you while I’m doing that.”

Azula spoke quietly, her voice a lash of venom, “We don’t need your supervision like we’re toddlers.”

Sasuke ground his teeth around inside his mouth angrily; his point, the overall emotion of what he had ben trying to convey clearly wasn’t getting across. And his pride and utter hatred for this kind of conversation kept him from just coming out and saying what he wanted to say. He closed his eyes and prepared to snap that everyone just forget it, it hadn’t been that big of a deal and he just had wanted—

“Everyone’ll be okay, Sasuke”

He opened his eyes at the soft voice that had come his way and he saw that everyone else had turned their eyes to Jin. She was still sitting in her chair, despite having been utterly forgotten in the conversation. The words being thrown that would likely have reduced anyone to utter silence seemed to have not frightened her off and as he looked into her eyes, he saw the purest form of understanding there that nearly was enough to strike a cord in his heart.

“You’re worried about everyone here,” she said, gesturing around. “You’re worried that something will happen to them, something you’ll blame yourself for. Something maybe you could have stopped.”

He could do nothing but stare at her, wondering how in the world she had managed to articulate his point not only accurately, but with much more conciseness and honesty than he every would have been able to. At the surely partially stunned expression on his face, Jin smiled softly.

“It’s in your eyes.”

Sasuke leaned back and turned his gaze down, swallowing as he did, a feeling of vulnerability crossing over him. He hated that feeling almost more than anything.

“But if you really do all you say you’re going to, you have nothing to worry about.”

At this, he looked back to her and saw her giving him a reassuring look. “You’re fine, Sasuke, everything’s going to be fine.”

There was little else he could do but let her words settle over the room and try and ignore the looks that were surely bouncing between him and Jin. But after several long moments, Mai took a step forward and he turned to meet her gaze. Though she still wore a hardened expression, there was something in her eyes too, a softness he wasn’t sure he had seen there before.

“She’s right. Everyone plays their part and we all come out of this just fine.”

Her flat and level tone was as reassuring as anything could be and Ty Lee stepped up next to her, a look of grudging affection on her face.

“Yeah. Besides, you don’t need to worry about watching our back, since we’re going to be watching yours.”

This seemed to take Aang out of his depressed state and he too took a step forward. Sasuke looked into the kid’s eyes and saw steel there. He remembered the conversation he and Aang had shared about duty and doing what was expected and wondered if the Avatar was remembering the words they had shared as well.

“We’re going to help, Sasuke,” he said firmly. “I won’t lie and say I’m not scared, but we owe it to the people of this city and all the people around the world we’re about to fight for.”

Sokka reached out and squeezed Aang’s shoulder with an expression of something like pride. Next to him, Suki kissed his cheek and then looked towards Sasuke with a confident smile.

“So, why don’t you show us where Iroh and everyone are positioned? Be good to know where we’ll be fighting from.”

She made it sound as casual as she could, but even with the glowing confidence of her, of Aang, of the others as they stepped forward, Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to smile back. Of all of the people before him, he still saw the sadness on Toph’s face, the fury and drive on Azula’s as she glowered from the back of the group. Worry was deeply present in the eyes of Katara who was doing her best to not show it and Sasuke finally looked towards Jin who too had a sad expression on her face. As he looked at her longer, he realized there was a sincere apology there as well.

_She knew that’s not something anyone can guarantee._

He looked back to his companions, all standing before him and looking as ready as they might ever be for war.

_Fine. Why do I care anyway, they want to go risking their lives for no reason._

Without looking at any of them in the eye, he turned and made for the door, leaving them to follow behind as he stepped into the ominous, dark glow of Sozin’s Comet.


	23. Chapter 23

** Chapter 24: Amber and Amethyst Sky **

Azula walked slowly in line with the rest of her companions, treading over the street that had once been the earth of her greatest triumph. Years of sieging, years of countless battles and not even her uncle with all of his victory in the war had been able to breach Ba Sing Se’s walls. She had managed to do it armed with only Ty Lee and Mai. It had been so satisfying and so entirely fulfilling and then… and then her father had hardly seemed to care.

Had it been because at that point he was already planning to kill her? Had that been the reason, an attempt to distance himself when he knew full well what was coming in the near future? The Fire Lord had continued to send her about on errands and placed the city under control of a half-assed regency, one that had apparently been overthrown only days prior. Had Azula been there to oversee the state of things, there would have been no such failing and the city would still remain in the grasp of the Fire Nation.

It wasn’t the first time Azula had to remind herself that she was no longer a member of the Fire Nation, no longer subject to her father and no longer allied with the nation that she had been willing to die for. Clenching her fists and feeling her long nails dig into the skin of her palm, she felt the shame that came with such a humiliating fall from favor pierce her and she lowered her gaze to the street beneath her feet. She was fairly certain she would not be recognized, particularly not with the surrounding citizens milling about in a state of near complete panic. Still, she had never felt less of a desire to be noticed and seen for who she was. Or had been.

Mai and Ty Lee were walking on either side of her, almost like it was during the days of their pursuit of the Avatar, shoulder to shoulder and ready for anything. And here they were now, Aang just meters in front of them and no longer anything to the point of their interest. Now, he was an ally, as were the entire number of his troop who they had engaged on more than one occasion. By the result of circumstance, they had become allies and Azula was still thickly disgusted at this forced companionship.

“Eyes up. If anyone recognizes Aang or Zuko or anyone warranting the capture of significant attention, this could get ugly rather quickly.”

And also not for the first time, it was Sasuke’s voice, a clear and cutting edge, that took Azula free from her mental prison of shame and hatred, grounding her in the moment and reminding her why she was doing all this.

Jin had not accompanied them as they had left the teashop, offering her goodbye at the door; she had shared an awkward hug with Zuko that Azula had noticed Mai stiffen severely upon seeing, and had much more naturally embraced Katara and thanked her for everything she had done. Only the memory of Sasuke’s threat kept Azula from firing up when she had then moved to Sasuke and pulled him into another hug that he had hesitantly returned. Azula lamented deeply she hadn’t been able to finish the job, but after what had transpired between her and Sasuke near the bridge, she had to watch her step.

Though he walked ahead of everyone else, she knew he was keeping a careful watch on her. Part of her was deeply pleased that he was devoting a great deal of attention to her, but knowing why numbed the joy of it. For whatever reason, he had put a great deal of stake in making sure that she kept from attacking those that might drive a wedge between them and while she couldn’t fathom it now, she knew that there would be a better time to address the situation. When the dust settled on this day, she could talk to him, convince him to let her handle things that might be dangerous to their relationship. Sasuke very clearly was worried about what might happen should he openly accept her, but time would remedy that. Impatience often crept into Azula’s thoughts, but remembering the taste of his lips and the blows he had delivered to her allowed ecstasy to swallow the pain.

Her gaze drifted to her left and right where her childhood friends flanked her as they pushed their way through the throngs of people and Azula couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste in her mouth as they looked resolutely ahead. The two that she had expected to stand by her side through anything had become so very distant in recent days, and over what? She had of course noticed Mai’s attentiveness to Sasuke, something that Azula still very much intended to deal with, but Ty Lee? Azula had watched as carefully as she could, but there had never been so much as a glance in Sasuke’s direction. So what was it?

All her pondering did was remind her that Sasuke was the only one she truly had anymore. Her father had been willing to abandon her for power, and while she supposed this wasn’t something she could inherently fault, the rift between them was long now impassable. Zuko, despite his efforts, would do nothing short of domesticate her if she allowed it and there was simply no hope for her in perhaps… redeeming herself. Even just the thought sickened her. And her only two friends had resorted to ignoring and distancing themselves from her.

It was just as well, she supposed. Once this day was out, she would be able to focus on the only relationship she had that had ever truly mattered.

_Sasuke…_

She stared at his back as the neared the wall and ran her tongue against the back of her teeth. Azula truly wasn’t sure how she had ever managed to live in a world that he hadn’t been a part of.

Above them, the heat of Sozin’s Comet burned the air with an arid and dry heat, and Azula could feel something coursing through her veins unlike anything she could have expected. As they made their way through the people mobbing the streets, she imagined that it would be all too easy to coat the streets ahead of them in a blue ocean of fire and clear them a path. She was able to restrain herself in that regard, but she knew that her firebending was indeed going to be unlike anything she had previously utilized. She could see her brother looking at his hands and running fingers along his forearms, no doubt feeling the same singing warmth in his veins that she did.

As they marched further towards the wall that now towered over them, Azula realized that while she couldn’t run a bolt of lightning and cut the life from those like Jin who conspired to steal Sasuke away from her, there was one thing that she could do to impose something of an advantage. Though she could never pull off taking his hand again, she found it was more than a little empowering to quickly accelerate her pace to move up and stand just beside Sasuke as the moved ever closer. Sasuke didn’t look over to her as she came up shoulder to shoulder with him, but it was as satisfying as anything to imagine the expressions of Toph, or Mai, or Katara surely searing into her back as she took her rightful place at his side. She knew there was only one true goal that mattered to her that day and that was proving herself, proving to Sasuke that she was worth his attention and love. She could do it, and however she managed it, it didn’t matter. Even if her father won the day, if she could prove herself to Sasuke, it would all be worth it.

* * *

Toph’s heart hurt.

She had tried more than once to simply beat down her own mentality, aggressing the negative and deeply painful emotions that were scorching her insides, but each time she attempted to do so, that damned burning had started to sting her eyes and she had been forced to blink away tears.

As they walked, she could feel the steady pace of Ty Lee, Katara, Suki and the others offering a rhythmic consistency that she could follow as the pounding rumble of thousands of panicked citizens hammered their way through the streets. If Toph hadn’t been so desperate to keep something of a confident and focused demeanor in front of her companions, she would have rather liked to move herself over towards Ty Lee and maybe take her hand for the sparse comfort it would bring her. Even just thinking that desire though sent a wave of self-hatred pulsing through her gut.

Why was this tearing her up so badly? What was Sasuke to make her feel so truly awful over a rejection like that? Not only was it unsurprising, she should have seen it coming over the horizon. It had been such a foolish thing to do at a time like that as well; the Fire Lord was perhaps only hours away and here she had been trying to force Sasuke into an intimate acceptance of her feelings. It was possible that if she had just waited until this was all over or even if she had attempted it nights ago, perhaps the outcome would have been different. That was maybe something she could take solace in perhaps, the idea that maybe she could just bide some time and—

_Don’t. Don’t you dare get your hopes up._

She mentally chided herself for allowing herself to open up in such a way and to think that anything could come further from even thinking that she might be able to attempt it again. If Sasuke didn’t want her then, what could a few days waiting help?

_It doesn’t matter anyway._

It really didn’t. In the days before he had entered her life, she had been perfectly content, despite the deeply grueling and dangerous nature of their travels. She had had grown very close to Aang, Katara and Sokka, and had been warming up pretty significantly to Zuko. Then, he had shown up and completely turned the entire situation on its head.

_I don’t need him to be happy._

But as they walked on, there was nothing short of a deep and painful thundering on her insides that kept her from ever really acknowledging that as true.

* * *

As they walked along the top of the wall and Sasuke spotted Iroh, Gokan and another man he didn’t recognize, he opened his mouth to call out, but Zuko beat him to the punch.

“Uncle!”

He ran past Sasuke and he and Iroh wrapped arms around each other and as Sasuke and his company drew closer, Iroh smiled at all of them in greeting, though the fear and intensity in his eyes was reminder enough of what was coming. Sasuke also saw something that might have been a brief swell of panic pass over the older man’s face, and he had a pretty good idea why.

“Generals, this is the Avatar and his companions,” he still said relatively pleasantly with a wave and both General Gokan and the other man dressed in blue armor and furs who must have been General Ungo bowed low. Aang, clearly flustered, waved his hands quickly.

“Please, that’s not necessary.”

They both straightened and General Ungo smiled, speaking in an airy and almost absent sounding tone that didn’t match his battle-hardened face in the slightest.

“Having you at our side is the greatest source of motivation our troops could ask for. We are at your side, Avatar Aang.”

“Indeed,” Gokan said in a booming voice. “When we all heard the news that Ozai’s kids had taken you out of commission, it was a real blow to everyone, regardless of nation. But looks like you just gave them the old trick play; we should have known it would have taken more than those crazy uppity firespitting psychos to put you down!”

It struck Sasuke then that there was a very curious part of this narrative he hadn’t quite paid attention to thus far. He risked a look around and saw that a great many faces, most notably Zuko, Aang and Sokka were having a bit of trouble trying not to look distinctly uncomfortable.

_They don’t know. They don’t know Ozai’s family is here with them fighting this battle._

It would have been funny if the situation weren’t so dire. Even though they were here to support the Earth and Fire Nations, Sasuke couldn’t imagine that having the Fire Lord’s two children along for the ride wouldn’t be considerable cause for alarm, perhaps quite a fair assessment as well. From what he knew, Zuko and Azula had been rather significant terrors amongst the other nations during their time as part of the Fire Nation, and he couldn’t imagine that the soldiers around him would be any too thrilled to know just who was atop the wall with them at that very moment.

Iroh hadn’t so much as cracked any sort of expression that might let in that he was also surely a little uneasy about how close to home General Gokan was hitting and as Sasuke took a casual step to the left to block off Azula from potentially being recognized, he said rather lightly, “I wouldn’t worry about the two of them. It sounds like they finally grew to a point where they could no longer listen to their father’s lies and struck out on their own.”

Gokan ran a hand through his mane of hair thoughtfully. “I suppose that’s true enough. Wasn’t that a story; to hear that Zuko had tried to assassinate Ozai and then only weeks later, Azula tries the same thing? Laughable, truly, I imagine they’ll be messed up in the head forever after childhoods like that.”

Surely not taking kindly to what was nothing short of insulting rheotoric, Sasuke heard Azula inhale sharply behind him, but before she could take a step forward or raise her voice throwing the entire situation into a state of unneeded chaos, Sasuke took another step, this one back and into her. As they gently bumped against one another, he reached behind him and took her wrist; he paused for a moment, trying to imagine how to appease her and allowed himself to gently rub his thumb against her skin. Biting his tongue, he felt her quiver and press her body against his back as she dragged the fingers of her free hand along his forearm, her nails once again raising the hairs on the back of his neck. But for all intents and purposes, his action worked and the two generals remained none the wiser to the actual company that had accompanied Aang.

Suki seemed to sense just how suddenly worrisome the situation had become and stepped up towards the edge of the wall, peering over the side and remarking, “Strong idea with the inclines.”

Sasuke, curious as to what she was referring to, brought himself over as well and looked over; below them just beyond the remains of the enormous drill he had seen over, their were the miniscule dots that must have been earthbenders below and they seemed to have raised great masses of earth at angles facing towards the wall for them to use as cover.

“Who might you be, young lady?” Ungo inquired as he and Gokan stepped up beside her.

“Suki, a warrior from Kyoshi Island,” she replied and Gokan let out a bark of approving laughter.

“I would expect nothing but the best to be accompanying the Avatar on his journey; I have never personally visited the island, but I’ve heard your program cranks out some of the best nonbending warriors our nation has to offer,” he said and Suki seemed to grow flustered for just a moment.

“I’ve heard only the best about you as well, general,” she said, her tone dipping into something Sasuke hadn’t heard before, perhaps resembling deep admiration. “Your maneuvers at the Battle of Omashu Pass were legendary.”

Gokan clapped her on the back with a massive hand, nearly knocking her off her feet. “Would have been nothing without the men and women under my command who made it possible. A military leader is only as good as the troops he commands, Suki and they in turn are only as good as they allow one another to be. I’m thrilled to have you by our side today.”

She beamed up at him as a soldier from the masses that were positioned atop the wall called out to him; as Sasuke looked, he realized that the number of troops that were now stationed atop the wall had multiplied significantly, a veritable river of people that stretched as far along the wall as he could see.

Clearly hearing something crucial, Gokan nodded and glanced to Ungo who nodded back. He stepped away from Suki and looked to Iroh. “We’ll be back momentarily.”

Bowing again to Aang, he smiled warmly, “At your service, Avatar.”

Ungo mirrored the movement and the two men strode off towards their troops. As they did, Sokka sauntered past Sasuke with a narrowed eye expression as he stared at Suki.

“Sure liked the look of that general, did you?” he asked and Suki rolled her eyes.

“He’s a legend in Earth Nation military history, Sokka. Managed some of the most impressive maneuvers and counterattacks in the nation’s history and he managed it all without a boomerang.”

Sokka drew himself up at that, “What’s that supposed to—”

Suki walked up to him and took him by his collar and pulled him into a kiss. “Relax, hero. I’m sure you’ll outdo him someday.”

She made her way past him and Sokka crossed his arms, adopting a comically smug expression before following her. “That’s what I like to hear.”

Sasuke watched the both of them a moment, giving the barest shake of his head.

_They make it look so easy._

He shook off the thought and instead said to Suki, “Quick thinking.”

She gave him a smile, but he barely had time to notice it before Iroh marched up to them with Zuko in tow, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the generals had moved out of earshot.

“What is this?!” he demanded in an angry, hushed tone and he glared at Sasuke intently. “What were you thinking, bringing them all here?!”

Annoyed by the sudden hostility, Sasuke crossed his arms and replied coolly, “I don’t know what you mean.”

Iroh gestured around at everyone nod including Sasuke. “They shouldn’t be here, none of them! They’re children!”

Sasuke gave a snort of laugher. “And what exactly does that make me?”

The older man’s eyes narrowed then. “You’re different, and you know it. What you can do and what you’ve no doubt experienced does not compare with them!”

“Excuse me,” Mai said coldly, interjecting herself into the conversation. “I believe since this is about us, we should have something of a say.”

Waving a hand in annoyance towards Sasuke, Iroh snapped. “He should have been smarter about this and not brought you here. It’s far too dangerous.”

“For your information, he asked us not to come,” Mai snapped back. “He asked us quite empathically actually and while you many not know Sasuke all that well, that’s hardly a small feat coming from him.”

“Thanks,” Sasuke muttered and took some solace in the smirks that passed over Ty Lee, Aang and Sokka’s faces.

Not remotely satisfied with that, Iroh pointed out towards the horizon. “On their way are battleships and an army numbering in the thousands led by my brother. They will be firebending unlike anything that’s been seen un a hundred years and this will hardly be a place for children!”

“Uncle,” Zuko tried pleadingly, but the calm and kindly demeanor that Sasuke had initially seen out of Iroh had disappeared as he ignored his nephew, walking up to Sasuke and jabbing him in the chest.

“You should have tried harder, you should have lied, anything to keep them from coming. Many people will die, and I don’t want to see any of—”

“And what exactly makes it your place to tell us what we can and cannot do, _uncle_?” Azula’s voice hissed over Sasuke’s shoulder with a venomous bite as she strode smoothly around him to draw face to face with Iroh as she peered disdainfully down at him.

“Perhaps you’d like to ask the generals what they think of having the Fire Lord’s immediate family siding with them. I’m sure they’d be understanding of the fact that you lied, don’t you?”

“Cut it out, ‘Zula,” Ty Lee snapped, but the princess tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned towards the horizon, smirking.

“We’re not your children, and we don’t owe you anything. Don’t you assume you know better just because you’re older than us, old man,” she grinned. Iroh’s shoulders seemed to slump slightly at her words, though Sasuke imagined it wasn’t because of the insult. Zuko was fired up right away and stomped up behind his sister.

“Shut your mouth!” he barked angrily. “You don’t know how lucky we are to have him in our lives! He just wants what’s best for us!”

With a very sudden speed, the smile wiped itself from Azula’s face and she whirled to glower at her brother; at the barely stifled rage on her face, Zuko shrank back just as quickly.

“What’s best for us, big brother? He seemed pretty content letting our father mold us into morally depraved monsters while he ran around, failing to win the war. He didn’t seem to mind letting you and your thick skull waste months hunting the Avatar, and you’re really going to call us lucky when we’re nothing short of disgraced royalty who will no doubt be strung up by our necks and gutted when the war’s out?”

Zuko had gone rather pale and Mai came to his rescue.

“That has nothing to do with your uncle,” she said in a low and firm voice. “And you aren’t going to be executed; if there’s any sort of trial, you’ll all be exonerated when it’s found what you did to aid against the Fire Nation.”

Azula turned to her, a flat and bitter look on her face.

“I’m talking about if our father wins.”

Mai grit her teeth and drew her head back. “Why are you even here, Azula? Is this some sort of psychotic trip for you where you want to see us fail?”

“Just being realistic, Mai,” Azula drawled. “It’s fair to note you probably wouldn’t wind up much better off.”

Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Mai turned her head away. “I can’t believe I’m listening to your pretentious whining. How long until you grow up, _your highness_?”

Sasuke decided he had heard enough of this meaningless bickering.

“Enough,” he snarled. Azula turned her gaze to him and bowed her head, maintaining silence as Mai spun to face him, a look of shock on her face.

“You’re really going to take her side in—”

“There’s no sides to take!” Sasuke snapped loudly and Mai’s expression became somewhat cowed. He looked between her and Azula, with occasional glances at Zuko, Iroh and Ty Lee. If this was what it was to be Fire Nation, then he really would be doing the world a favor by winning this war. “If you have it in your head that there is any kind of battle that needs to happen between any of us, time to wake up.”

He pointed towards the ever encroaching dark clouds on the horizon.

“We’ve got hours at best. And when they get here and you’re stuck up your own asses trying to play the high ground with each other, don’t expect the enemy to be understanding when you’re debilitatingly distracted.”

Sasuke knew he was perhaps exaggerating just how significant this petty argument was, but he knew that at least with Azula, he needed to lock it down now. She was likely only barely put off by Mai and Zuko’s words, but vice versa, her insults and provocation could be deeply dangerous to the mental states of those she was instigating. When the day was over, they could settle their differences through as many pointless arguments as they liked, but right about then, he needed them all focused, and not on wanting to break one another’s noses.

“He’s right,” Iroh said quietly and Sasuke turned his attention to the older man. Iroh wore an expression of both regret and understanding. “And so are you, my niece.”

This seemed to catch Azula off guard and she blinked at him in surprise as attention shifted to him. He clasped his thick fingers in front of him, looking deeply remorseful.

“I was never there when you needed me. As children, you were always being molded by your father into subservient minions just as he wanted, and I suppose I just hoped Ursa would be there to temper that. Then, when she disappeared, I told myself that you were both old enough to not be ruled by the fear and anger your father ruled with. I learned how wrong I was when traveling with Zuko, and I am truly sorry, Azula, that I couldn’t be there for you in the same way. Years you spent under my brother’s thumb and I can’t tell you how much it hurts me every day to remember that.”

Azula said nothing and Sasuke silently hoped that some sort of ground was being made with her right about then.

“And I know too that everyone here is not what they appear to be. Even the youngest of you have been forced to grow up much too quickly and I know what that does to your maturity and understanding of the world. Of course I have no place to tell you if this is your fight or not. I only ask… please take care of yourselves and one another, if you must join us here today. No one’s safety can be guaranteed.”

He fell silent then, clearly at peace with what he had said. Azula’s jaw was working furiously and while she crossed her arms and looked back out towards the horizon, away from her uncle, her silence was as reassuring a sign as any. Zuko put a hand on Iroh’s shoulder and his uncle squeezed it back. Mai’s expression had become a sad and hardened mask and she turned her back from Azula and returned the one-armed hug she received from Ty Lee. Sasuke let the moment sit for a moment before he inhaled and spoke again.

“Well, now that’s cleared up, I think I’m going to try and close my eyes for a little bit.”

Dumbfounded expressions turned his way then and Sokka gaped at him.

“You’re going to try and sleep in a time like this??”

“Well, I can’t imagine Ozai is going to be all that amenable to me taking a rest when he gets here, can you?” Sasuke asked and Sokka’s face softened then as he shrugged in a gesture of ‘fair enough.” When no one else said anything, Sasuke moved over to where some sandbags that had been acting as weights for some of crates of supplies rested. He caught Azula looking longingly after him, but she fortunately didn’t follow; the group began to slowly meander about as they no doubt fell into their own respective thoughts about the day and what was to come. But as Sasuke lay down, he realized that Iroh had followed him over; he looked up at the old man inquisitively.

“Yeah?”

Looking over his shoulder, Iroh looked to the ground beneath him with an expression of remorse on his face.

“I’m sorry for speaking to you in such a way. I just didn’t want to see… I don’t want to see any of them hurt.”

Sasuke sighed as he sat down and leaned against the sandbags. “You don’t have to apologize to me, old man. If I could have it my way, none of them would be here.”

He locked eyes with Iroh. “I did try and stop them.”

Iroh looked at him a long moment before giving him a sad smile and walking away. Sasuke watch him go before sighing and leaning back; as he prepared to close his eyes, he saw Mai looking at him with an unreadable expression and she turned away the moment he met her gaze. For a moment, he stared at the back of her head, deep in thought before growling in annoyance at himself and slamming his eyelids shut.

It barely felt like he had been lying there for a minute before there was a hand on his shoulder, shaking him urgently.

“Sasuke!!”

The suddenness of what was happening snapped him to attention immediately, and before he even knew what he was doing, he had grabbed the person’s wrist and used them as leverage to yank himself up, Chidori spitting in his hand as his instincts got the better of him. But he only saw Aang before him, expression worried and anxious in the blue crackle of the lightning around Sasuke’s hand; he banished the jutsu and shook the sleep from his body.

“How long was I out?” he asked as he climbed to his feet.

“Maybe two hours,” Aang said worriedly and as Sasuke looked, he saw every single person he had come atop the wall with, alongside every soldier standing near the edge of the wall, facing towards the horizon. As Sasuke moved to join them, he realized how quiet everyone was; no rustling of armor and gear, no statuses being passed between soldiers, no bickering amongst Azula and whomever else she might have antagonized. Everyone was turned intently the southwest and as Sasuke moved to stand between Katara and Ty Lee, he saw why.

The clouds that had originally been perceived as a black mass coming towards Ba Sing Se had split and now were cast above the city as great tears of black. Where the clouds parted, an orange and sickly sky shone through, a deeply unnatural color and it wasn’t until Sasuke felt a bead of sweat sliding down his temple that he realized just how hot it had become, as though they were standing in a smithy with all the fires burning hot.

Blackness still covered the horizon itself, but as Sasuke looked, many singular dots of yellow light shone in very distinct circles all across the dark strip of cloud; he estimated at least a few dozen by his count.

Ozai’s airships were closing in.

The very significance of what this meant was not lost on Sasuke and as he listened to the sheer silence around him that seemed to stretch for miles, he knew that everyone understood the same that he did. This was it, this was the war about to come to its final head. He looked left and right and shot quick glances towards his companions; Ty Lee had her eyes wide and mouth locked in a firm line as she breathed deeply in and out. Mai had her arms crossed, but Sasuke could see her fingers rubbing anxiously against her biceps as she bit at the inside of her mouth; beside her, Zuko had donned an expression of extreme intensity as though he was trying to hide from how scared he felt. Katara had perhaps the most reassuring expression and he saw that look in her eyes again that he had seen directed his way more than once in the past, that controlled anger and concentration. Sokka was beside her running his fingers over the hilt of his black sword and looking deeply confident himself wit Suki beside him, looking confident as well, almost hungry for battle. Aang was slowly shifting balance from one foot to the other, looking as out of place as anyone could be, and Sasuke felt a surge of anger that the kid had to be there at all.

Azula looked as intense as Sasuke had ever seen her, lips peeled back over her gritted teeth and her eyes wild with fire. He could tell she was itching for things to kick off and he found himself worried just what this battle might mean for her in particular.

_I don’t need her doing something stupid to try and impress me._

He gave a silent sigh of frustration; that was just what he needed, that planted seed of doubt that told him Azula was going to lunge headfirst into things and potentially get herself hurt or killed in an effort to…

_To do what?_

What the hell was this all for? Trying to get his attention? She already had that, she had been granted that from the moment she had tried to kill him above the air temple. Trying to vie for his affection? Was she really so emotionally stunted that she believed the best way to garner his love was to throw herself needlessly into danger as she had done at the festival? For a moment, Sasuke wanted to pull her to the side and just force her to come clean with her emotions, however badly he didn’t really want to hear them. Or better yet, knock her out and stow her somewhere safe until this was all over.

“Think he’ll be on the front with them?”

“Why wouldn’t he be… he’s got nothing to be scared of now…”

He heard the hushed voices of two soldiers a dozen yards down the wall and realized that there was a part of this he wasn’t considering. For as much as he had been focused on Obito aboard the flagship, Azula had essentially taken down her father with Zuko. What would happen today would likely drive a nail into that finality of her relationship with her father, and as Sasuke looked at her furious and fierce visage, he supposed that perhaps this wasn’t all about him.

At a tug on his shirt, he looked down and to the left.

Toph was standing just there, looking deeply frightened, though she was hiding it behind an almost humorous expression of confidence. The anger she had no doubt been harboring towards him since their brief exchange on the rooftop seemed to have alleviated at least for the moment.

“What’s everyone see?” she asked quietly and Sasuke had to mentally rebuke himself after it took him a moment to remember her condition. Though he supposed, as he looked out towards the ever approaching spheres of light in the sky, ominous in their silence and lack of form, that perhaps it was better Toph couldn’t see what had drove everyone to silent vigil in watching the approach of Ozai and his army.

In an attempt to perhaps ease Toph’s likely rushing worry, he ignored her question, instead raising his voice and saying rather loudly, “Is that it then? A few airships?”

He remained looking forward as his companions turned towards him, expressions speaking with varying levels of ‘are you serious?’ as they stared at him. A little ways down the line, Iroh gestured beneath the horizon itself, more so pointing towards the ground itself.

“They didn’t just come by sky.”

Sasuke turned his gaze in the indicated direction and immediately caught sight of what he had missed at first glance. Tapping into his Sharingan, he achieved a more concentrated view of what he had originally seen as the earth itself moving.

Countless soldiers, all garbed in the dark colors of the Fire Nation were marching swiftly towards wall. They seemed to represent a carpet over the earth that shifted and raced towards them with a speed that was nothing to scoff at; Sasuke imagined that if they continued to move at their present speed, it would only be minutes until they reached the end of the drill.

“They’re attacking from the ground first?” he asked, somewhat surprised.

“Indeed they seem to be doing so,” came the booming voice of General Gokan who gave Sasuke a hearty pat on the back as he strode up behind him. “Perhaps they intend to try and force us to use a great deal of our benders’ chi early in the fight. But we have more than enough soldiers on hand to keep a ground assault at bay for a good while, if they intend to only use their ground forces, enhanced firebending aside. Without their air support, we can hold them off indefinitely.”

“That’s a lot of soldiers,” Sasuke remarked and Gokan gave him a look, his voice dipping into an unfamiliar tone of severity.

“Do not underestimate our earthbenders. If Ozai wants to wage a ground war, we can more than accommodate him, especially if all he intends to—”

What happened next was something Sasuke had no choice but to react to immediately.

“Above!!!” came a roar from Mai and Sasuke immediately snapped his head up to look to where she was pointing alongside everyone else within earshot of her shout.

Practically falling out of the sky were a number of about eight compact airships, all streamlined in shape and size. They must have been flying from behind the clouds and had come out at an angle just above the wall and were now rocketing precipitously towards the city. They were not large, nor were they armored, but it was clear very quickly what their purpose was as one of the firebenders who must have been aboard sent an explosive jet of fire rocketing towards the wall. It impacted with a blazing explosion about a hundred yards further down the wall and in the enormous fireball it created, Sasuke saw soldiers flying about as screams sounded through the air.

Katara raced to the inner edge of the wall, reaching down with the other waterbenders of the defense forces and pulling up water hastily from the reservoir beneath to utilize likely as both offense and as a protective measure. He vaguely heard Gokan and Ungo shouting orders as earthbending soldiers drew up stone missile in preparation to strike back and he watched as his other companions drew up their elemental abilities; Zuko and Azula summoning cyclones of orange and blue fire, and Aang pulling his air about him and Toph, slinging up walls of earth around them for cover, mirroring the other eartbending soldiers. He could see the fear written on all their faces, but found himself distantly impressed by their focus and confidence.

But as Sasuke looked back to the sky and saw the incoming assault, he knew that no amount of bending here would be enough to take them all down in a timely enough manner, not timely enough to keep his companions from being hit in the process.

And as he had a fleeting image of the scorched and lifeless bodies of Toph, Azula, Mai, Katara, Aang and everyone else being flung through the air, his decision was reached instantly.

Bending his knees and tightening his muscles, he drew up his chakra reserves within him in a single breath and then kicked off from the wall hard, his feet crushing the brick beneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, he was rocketing towards the airships, silently hoping that no one from his own side might hit him in the process, rather sure that he would have been pretty easy to miss propelling himself up.

_I’ve got some surprises too, Fire Lord._

A purple hue burst from his body and coated the area around him as he ascended higher, the color stretching out and around him, blossoming outward with a furious speed. Sasuke reached into the rapidly coalescing pieces that were being created by his chakra, feeling the arms and legs as though they were his own, which in a strong sense, they were.

A moment later and he was soaring upward, the wings of his Susanoo thudding behind him.

He was certain that everyone beneath him was surely in a proper state of shock and the thought almost made him smirk; no one had seen his Susanoo in action, though he had used its arm in half form to save Toph when they had fallen out of the sky above the Fire Nation capital. This was the first time he had fully summoned it as well, and it felt as good as taking in a deep breath of fresh air.

_I didn’t want to have to use this so early on, but there’s no choice now._

Bearing towards the airships with a destructive speed, he noted they had all ceased firing at least for the moment, no doubt stunned by the massive purple figure that was zooming towards them, but Sasuke knew this distinct advantage wouldn’t last long. He had to end this quickly.

Pulling the vibrantly gleaming bow on his Susanoo’s left arm and directing it upwards, he loosed a series of arrows, each of them a gleaming bolt of violet as they blasted upwards towards the atmosphere. Half the airships were speared and erupted in a collage of purple and orange as they were hit; just as the explosions rocked the sky, he was on top of the remaining ships. Seizing one and crushing it, he hurled its broken remains towards another and they both vanished in another fireball. By his count noting that there were only two remaining, he turned towards the first one he saw and moved swiftly towards it, his arms outstretched as he did.

He only made it about halfway towards it when men aboard the other airship behind him directed what must have been four or five different attacks to crash into his Susanoo’s back.

For a moment, Sasuke spiraled out of control, not hurt but the sheer amount of power that had been behind the assault was staggering. This had only been four or five men and they had just managed to deliver a blow strong enough to stagger his Susanoo; getting himself back in order, Sasuke turned his spiral into a sharp turn and plugged the second to last airship with a shot from his bow and then right himself forward and swiped a hand through the last one, sending its pieces and occupants flying into space.

Giving his wings a great heave, he stopped himself in midair, catching his breath from within his Susanoo. The blow had been outrageously heavy, and though it hadn’t been enough to even slightly damage the Susanoo’s armor, Sasuke could only imagine what an army of men with those capabilities could do.

_Rather would not be in a position where I have to find out. They really do need me after all, no way even all those defenders with this wall can withstand that kind of firepower._

He turned in the air and looked down to the top of the wall beneath him; the thousands of soldiers both atop the wall and on the ground milled about, as small as insects to where he hovered in the sky, but as he looked, another moving series of objects caught his eye and he focused his chakra into his Susanoo’s vision.

Diving from the cover of the clouds were another tight cluster of the same kind of vessel Sasuke had just torn through, smaller and lighter, but no doubt with the same load of skilled firebenders ready to take chunks out of the defending forces. He looked in a swift wide scan of the area to see if there were any other attacking groups of ships, but saw that this was the only other series anywhere in the immediate vicinity. They would be close enough to attack the wall within seconds.

 _Time to stop fooling around,_ Sasuke thought angrily and tore the sky as he blazed his way to intercept. From his fists burst fountains of crackling amethyst as his Susanoo brought its swords to life and he pulled them back into readied positions.

It was likely none of the eight ships saw him coming and within the blink of an eye, he had torn through each and every single one of them, reducing them to burning scraps that fell harmlessly towards the earth below.

Just about to congratulate himself on how much better that particular engagement had gone, the sense of his Susanoo picked up more inbound objects and he quickly turned to spot them, but found these were of quite a different sort. There were only three of them and they were flying in a split pattern, even smaller than the advance ships Sasuke had just destroyed and much faster. He barely had time to even see them before they were rocketing over the wall itself and flashing past on retreating routes, one over the defenders on the ground ready to meet the army, one over the thousands of reinforcements hunkered down just inside the wall, and over the top of the wall itself. They seemed to do nothing other than perform a set of precise flyovers though as Sasuke watched, a jet of blue lightning flashed from atop the wall and tagged one, sending it spiraling out of control down into the city where it crashed into a town square of some kind. Sasuke allowed himself a tight smile as he knew this couldn’t have been anyone other than Azula.

But as he looked towards the paths the speeding airships had taken, he noticed something strange underneath the harsh orange light of the sky that seemed to be settling down atop the wall. It looked almost like a mist of some kind, nearly greyish white in color, though it was likely only due to his Susanoo’s enhanced sight that he was able to spot it at all under the violent hues thrown down from Sozin’s Comet.

And as Sasuke thought to the only thought in recent memory that remotely tied itself to something like a mist or a gas, he grit his teeth as the realization sent a pang of sudden worry and understanding through his heart.

* * *

As Katara watched the smoldering wreckage of the vessel Azula had shot down smoke upwards into the sky, she turned her attention back to the massive figure hovering high off above them, stunned and in relative disbelief.

 _What…_ is _he?_

This was about all she could even manage to think as Sasuke, or whatever giant purple monster he had become flapped its enormous wings above her.

“I’m going to assume Sasuke went ahead and did something really impressive,” Toph muttered, her arms crossed and Ty Lee, also staring unblinking at Sasuke, put a hand on the earthbender’s shoulder.

“You don’t know the half of it.”

Katara saw the rest of her allies similarly stunned, but there were undertones to every one of them behind the shock that held dominant in their expressions. Azula’s wide eyes danced with the color of the sky as her mouth turned upwards into a hungry smile while Zuko looked almost scared next to her. Mai had her brow furrowed and her mouth slightly agape, while Aang had fallen to his knees as a result of his astounded state. Suki’s shoulders were slumped and she almost looked as though she were ready to just give up on being surprised period with a weary look on her face, but beside her, Sokka had his hands clasped behind his head and was wearing a humongous smile.

“I’ll be damned,” he said through his wide grin. “Just when you think he’s shown you everything.”

Zuko moved towards Iroh, not looking at where he was walking and tripping, he nearly fell over; he never took his eyes off Sasuke though as he asked his uncle in a hushed tone, “Uncle… you know a great deal about spirits and what they are. Is this… could he be…?”

As he said this, Katara realized that she had never once herself considered this possibility; Sasuke’s broken memory, his strange abilities and absurd power, could they all be a result of him being not even remotely human? Katara also realized that while she had avoided this potentiality, she desperately didn’t want it to be true and almost gave a sigh of relief when Iroh, also with eyes locked on the heavens, shook his head slowly.

“No,” the older man said. “It is the duty of spirits to watch over this world and not take sides in the wars of humans. No, no spirit would seek to insert itself as openly as this. Nor does the energy he give off seem at all…”

Iroh paused at this before shaking his head. “The amount of chaotic energy I feel from him is quite unfathomable and both beneath and beyond what any spirit might possess.”

Azula turned her head and gave her uncle a sharp look from over her wrinkled nose. “What, you can just tell what kind of person he is through his ‘energy’ is all?”

She turned back to Sasuke, her eyes almost misting over as she only half-heartedly finished her insult. “Don’t tell me you got soft _and_ crazy after you retired.”

Zuko seemed to ruffle up at this, but after only a moment, his gaze too turned to what Sasuke had become above them and Katara followed suit.

It was unlike anything she could every have imagined. It was shaped like a person, with a torso, head and arms and legs, but that was where the similarities ended; it seemed to be covered in armor the and its head was mishappen, looking like it possessed both horns and a beak. Its wings could have stretched the length of Ozai’s flagship had they been fully extended and its entire form seemed to be shrouded in a purple, sickly mist that matched the entire body’s coloration, save for a pair of searing yellow eyes that burned as bright as the sheets of orange light that sliced through the clouds from Sozin’s Comet. As she looked up at it, Katara felt quite uncomfortable then as it peered down very potentially in their direction. She wanted to find some tiny nook somewhere and curl up inside it; whatever Sasuke had become, it scared her.

“Well, then,” came a loud and grim voice and Katara managed to extricate her vision from Sasuke’s new form and saw General Gokan standing before them, arms crossed and with a squad of a dozen or so soldiers flanking him, each looking as agitated and somber as their commanding officer did. Behind them, General Ungo was passing orders along to be carried down the masses of soldiers congregated atop the wall, but Katara saw him looking over his shoulder towards his fellow general nervously.

Gokan looked over Iroh, then Azula and Zuko, and then back to their uncle again. He held his silence a long moment before glancing skyward at Sasuke, his face momentarily catching in a look of sheer disbelief, before returning his attention forward.

“I didn’t want to even think it,” he finally said as a way to introduce whatever was clearly eating at him. “I did my best to think nothing of the name ‘Iroh’ what with it being a relatively common name, but your resemblance at least to the story’s I heard of the Fire Lord’s brother was… at least a little uncanny. Still, I assumed the best of you and that I was just being paranoid. And maybe because of that little delusion on my part, I didn’t even look at these two you have by your side, not seeing the face of a disgraced member of royalty or her scarred brother.”

He inclined his head slowly and Katara saw the menace in those eyes that had only hours ago shone at them all with a sense of compassion and camaraderie.

“I was a fool. For now, I have the Fire Lord’s very family before me, and I have to be quite honest that I don’t know quite what to do now.”

Opening his palms slowly in a gesture of goodwill, Iroh spoke in a slow and measured tone. “My deceit was deeply regrettable, but you must understand why I had to lie to you and your men. If you knew who I was, I would never have been allowed to help you set up your defenses, nor would I… would _we_ be able to aid you now.”

Gokan’s lips tightened and curled angrily. “Aid? You think we want aid from Ozai’s own kennel? How in spirits’ names do you expect me to believe that you’re anything more than opportunists looking to backstab us or the Fire Lord to get a foot up in this whole damned mess of a war?”

Katara found she couldn’t hold her tongue as she felt the situation starting to fall out of control, anger starting to rise in the general’s tone.

“They’ve made no attempts to do anything deceitful or harmful! They were abandoned and openly disgraced by Ozai, what makes you think that’s something that would have them turning around to play the traitor against you?!”

Gokan gave her a hardened look, but she could see something akin to sadness in his eyes.

“In the history of warfare, there have been tougher cons pulled,” he growled.

Azula stepped forward, her expression deeply incensed, but there was an absolutely savage grin on her face as well.

“As if there was even anything you could do to stop me,” she hissed and the general straightened his back.

“We’ll see.”

He gestured behind him and the soldiers at his back tensed.

“These men will take the three of you into custody where you will be placed in holding cells until the such a time as you can be given proper trials,” he said and Iroh closed his eyes, looking down sadly as Zuko and Azula both glared forward. Gokan looked at the three of them a moment longer during which time Katara looked desperately to Aang, Mai and Ty Lee, but all three of them looked just as lost and helpless as how to proceed.

“Take them,” Gokan said and the Earth Nation soldiers moved around him quickly, hands snapping into positions of various earthbending techniques no doubt to create walls and bindings of earth to seal the three members of the royal family.

But as all dozen of the men gestured ahead of them, nothing happened.

Azula gave a cackle. “That’s the best your ‘benders’ can manage, general? Why don’t I give you all a taste of what an attack is _actually_ supposed to look like.”

She drew a hand back behind her, fingers pointed in sharp angles and she whipped her arm around to no doubt assail the soldiers in a torrent of flame; Katara felt herself surge forward in an effort to stop her and she saw Iroh, Aang and Ty Lee out of the corner of her eye doing the same. If Azula attacked these men, it would no doubt seal their fates in the eyes of the Earth Nation military, regardless of whether or not she had been provoked. But as Katara reached out a hand, a shout on her lips, she knew none of them would reach the psychotic princess in time.

Then, just as the soldiers had, Azula’s hand came forward and not even the tiniest burst of fire emanated from her fingertips.

Azula stared in stunned fury down at her hand as though it was her hand that was somehow defective. She snapped her fingers, a method that Katara had seen Zuko use to create fire and nothing happened. She lashed out with two kicks, each of them punctuated with an angry shout, and still, no fire.

As the pieces began to fall horrifyingly into place in Katara’s mind, she turned down to the basin far beneath her and attempted to draw water from it again, but it didn’t move, sloshing around at the base of the wall. Around her, she saw Zuko, Aang, Toph and countless other men and women of the Water and Earth Nations start to understand something was wrong as they all moved to try and affirm their bending abilities, but nothing, no pebble, no breeze, no drop of water moved through the air as a result of their efforts.

 _The three super quick airships,_ Katara thought and closed her eyes in frustrated despair. It was so terribly obvious what had happened and potentially fatal what would come as a result.

Ahead of them, Gokan whipped his arms around with deepening aggression, furious panic starting to show on his face.

“What is this?!” he shouted angrily and Katara suddenly felt a rush on her insides as though something of massive size had just moved by very close to her. As she looked up, she realized this was indeed a correct presumption of the situation in actuality; Sasuke’s enormous glowing form had just soared by overhead, coming around on the wall’s left size before pulling up, gigantic wings thudding and once again drawing the attention of all. As Katara watched, the luminescent violet giant began to dissipate with a loud series of purple hisses and in only a matter of moments, there was no sign of any purple glow, only Sasuke as he remained suspended in midair for just a brief instant before dropping to the wall’s surface, landing gracefully without a sound.

As he approached them, his voice was a grim tone that perfectly stated out what Katara so feared was true.

“It’s the toxin. You’ve all lost your bending.”

* * *

Sasuke watched as the defensive mass of people that stretched out before him began to devolve into chaos.

Katara immediately went to Gokan and Ungo, explaining what had just been used on them and the time constraints for which the parameters of the toxin were created. Even as she stated that the effects were temporary regarding the Fire Nation’s relatively brand new weapon, Sasuke saw both the men’s faces grow deeply stony as they were informed. It had taken the toxin only minutes to dispel from their systems before, but with what was bearing down on them now, minutes were as devastatingly long as hours.

He watched Toph, Azula and the rest of the benders trying in vain to summon their abilities and he listened to the sounds of panicked chatter and shouting carry all the way down the wall. The three airships had flown over top it and both ground forces, the one outside the wall and the one still within. The Fire Nation’s only resistance from the benders defending the city would be their fists and their spears, no doubt to be blasted away by the enhanced bending capabilities the Fire Nation touted. It would be as simple a slaughter as anything could be.

Sasuke watched as Ty Lee and Mai approached one another, the former with eyes wide and scared before she embraced her friend. Mai’s expression was tighter but no less worried and as she looked over her friend’s shoulder, Sasuke caught her eyes and she gave him a truly saddened look that almost made him want to go over and comfort her himself. Because he saw that look in the eyes of Sokka and Suki as they looked at each other, he saw it on Toph’s face as she stared at the ground, small fists shaking at her side, on the faces of Iroh and the two generals as they realized that all their years of military experience were as useful to them now as grains of sand would be. He looked at Azula who was still attempting to muster up even the smallest bit of fire to no avail, for once, her attention not on him, her eyes furious and mouth pulled in a snarl. Sasuke saw Zuko drop to his knees, staring out at the approaching ground forces of his father which would reach the wall far sooner than his bending would return.

Finally, Sasuke looked to Aang who had walked a short distance from his friends and was standing at the edge of the wall. Silently, Sasuke walked up to join him as they stared out over the hell that had become the world Aang lived in and that Sasuke had been thrust into.

It was a long couple seconds before Aang said quietly, “I have to do down there.”

Sasuke turned to look at the Avatar and saw Aang’s face tight with determination as he continued. “I’ll go down there and surrender myself to the army. I know Ozai still wants me, maybe even dead; maybe they’ll just kill me when they realize who I am, but if it buys even a little time… maybe enough for everyone’s bending to come back, I’m the best chance to being able to just slow them down just by consequence of who I am.”

He tightened his mouth into a line of focus as he added, “I’m scared, but I have to try, as hopeless as it seems.”

In that moment, Sasuke was thrust into a memory, or more so, a voice that spoke to him across time and space as he listened to it resound through his head, upbeat, energetic and endlessly optimistic.

_“You’re not lost yet, Sasuke. Everyone at Konoha says so, but Sakura, Kakashi-sensei and me won’t give up on you! Even if you try and kill us for trying to help, I won’t stop trying. I’ll never stop trying, Sasuke, believe it!!”_

As he flashed back to the moment at hand, Sasuke looked at Aang who in that moment had reminded him of an old, familiar face.

_Still trying to shoulder the weight of the world, are we, Aang?_

But as he watched the Avatar’s deeply resolute face, Sasuke began to smile.

Because despite the hand that he and all of the people standing beside him had just been dealt, had they really just forgotten about who was with them?

Sasuke was starting to regret more deeply that he had burned so much chakra then on his Susanoo and its abilities, but it didn’t matter. Just as Aang had said, he had to try. He thought to the people that he had come to care for, Aang, Azula, Toph, Katara, Mai, Sokka, Suki, Ty Lee and Zuko. It had hardly been an overall healthy relationship, but Sasuke knew there was so much more to it than the fear and hate some of them had initially displayed. Because in a sense, they had all shown him a different kind of understanding, a different kind of acceptance. He even thought to Jin, kilometers behind him in the teashop with Pao, no doubt waiting and praying as the end of the world seemingly approached and all of this was enough for him to know what to do.

_You got soft, Sasuke._

He put a hand briefly on Aang’s shoulder and walked back to his companions. He brushed both Mai and Katara on the shoulders and when they looked his way inquisitively, he gave his head a little jerk to the less occupied area of the wall to their left. They followed him without hesitation and everyone else seemed too caught up in their despair to notice, save for Ty Lee, who watched them with distant nervousness behind the agony on her face.

When he knew they were out of earshot, Sasuke turned to look at them; they both were watching him with total attentiveness, Mai looking anticipatory and Katara looking deeply curious. He thought of how best to address this before taking a deep breath and looking at them intently.

“I need you both to do me a favor.”

They said nothing in reply and he took that as cause to continue.

“Katara, I need you to keep an eye on Toph, and Mai, I need you to keep an eye on Azula.”

He watched both of their brows begin to furrow, and he raised his hands, continuing before indignation or questioning could be thrown his way.

“I’m not that blind or naïve, though maybe I’ve tried to be. I know that they both have… feelings and I don’t want those feelings getting them in trouble after what happens next.”

Mai made a face and he could see fear behind her anger, different to the kind that had accompanied the toxin realization.

“What are you—” she started, but Sasuke cut her off.

“And I also know that there might be something going on perhaps with you two as well, which is why I’m bringing this to you both in particular. I owe you both this much.”

As he said it, Sasuke wanted to punch his own nose clear out the back of his own head as Katara and Mai both looked at one another, eyes slowly narrowing.

_Maybe not blind or naïve, but damn it all if I can’t be dumb as a box of rocks._

His annoyance with himself faded as he remembered that in this moment, time was very much of the essence and he took both girls by the shoulder to regain their attention and they both quickly looked back to him at his touch.

“You both have much clearer heads than those two. And this is about more than me, it’s about keeping all of you safe, no matter what happens to me.”

His feet were tingling as he knew what was about to happen and Katara’s eyes widened and Mai’s lips curled aggressively.

“Sasuke, don’t you _dare…_ ”

All he could manage then was a shrug.

“Don’t wait up for me.”

Turning before he could think of something else to say, he ran between them, feeling Katara’s fingers graze his shoulder in an effort to stop him. He raced up to the generals, Iroh and the rest of his companions where Aang had just walked up, no doubt about to try and inform them of his plan to give himself up. As Sasuke skidded to a halt between them all, he put a hand on the top of Aang’s head.

“Under no circumstances let this guy do anything stupid. Keep him safe no matter what,” he said loudly and saw all eyes turn to him. Sokka seemed to be the first to piece two and two together and he gave Sasuke a look of dawning comprehension.

“You’re not _seriously_ …”

As he trailed off, Sasuke looked down to Aang, who was looking up at him with a curious expression, eyes still deep with fear and helplessness, though as he met the Avatar’s gaze, Sasuke could still see that determination there.

He gave Aang a small smile.

“Don’t let anyone tell you different, you’re going to be a great Avatar.”

And he turned and stared out into the black horizon, bending his knees as he did. Behind him, he heard Katara and Mai both running up, shouting out words he chose to ignore and he kicked off the wall, just as he had when turning into his Susanoo. But instead of transforming, he let his powerful launch carry him through the air and the ground rushed up to meet him from far below as he arced his leap to land a hundred or so meters ahead of the defensive walls the Earth Nation had composed around the drill. It took him several long seconds for him to land on the ground, and he touched down with a powerful impact, leaping out of the crater he had made as a result.

And as he stood and took a deep breath, beginning to walk forward, he realized how quiet it was. The only sound that came was his feet crunching against the dirt and stone beneath them and that of his breathing as his walk became a jog.

He looked ahead of him and saw a rolling storm of dust rising before him so far and yet so close. It seemed the ground forces of the Fire Nation had gotten the message that the benders they were about to face off against had been robbed of their abilities for a short period and were looking to take advantage of that. Sasuke’s job became a run as he felt the ground start to shake beneath his feet as the thousands of approaching soldiers pounded their way forward.

Sasuke thought for a moment to how Toph or Azula might have been looking towards him as he leapt away towards the approaching apocalypse. He thought of how angry they would surely all be with him; maybe Sokka at least would have the time to be a little impressed, he thought with a smirk. He thought of Aang’s expression and thought of how he had been so willing to sacrifice himself for a ploy he didn’t even know would work. He thought to Iroh and his focus and drive to protect a city he owed nothing to. He thought to Jin sitting alone at a table in the dining room of Pao’s teashop, a place that seemed so far away to him just then as he felt the vastness of the wasteland before him, and to all those people, panicking and certain they were about to die. He wondered where Obito was right about then, the true threat he would no doubt have to get past to win the day and secure Ozai’s defeat.

He wondered if he even could.

Finally, as the rumble of the earth and the bellowing of thousands of battle-ready warriors echoed just distantly in his ears, Sasuke put all these thoughts out of his mind and broke into a sprint.

When he drew his sword, it glinted in the orange sky, already tasting the blood of a day that would surely come to know much violence.


	24. Chapter 24

** Chapter 24: Gods **

General Ako couldn’t have felt any more proud and joyous as he ran towards the looming wall that had presented itself as a deterrent to his nation for so long. At long last, the Fire Nation would finally and effectively destroy any resistance left in the city and crush its population beneath their heel. Though he never would have admitted it, he had always been deeply displeased by the lack of effort to try and retain the city after Azula’s successful takeover and even might have been reservedly satisfied when it was retaken by the combined efforts of the Earth and Water Nations in the days prior, though he never would have admitted to such pleasure.

And now, as the ground shook beneath the pounding of thousands of Fire Nation soldiers all just at his heel, he was going to be the one remembered by history as he led the bellowing men and women behind him towards Ba Sing Se.

Defenses had been raised around the drill, massive raised slabs of earth that angled like waves inward to no doubt try and stifle their efforts to reach the metal beast that had only managed to inject itself a couple hundreds yards through the wall before being immobilized and rendered useless. But for all intents and purposes now, it had done exactly what it needed to; Ako would lead Ozai’s mass of foot soldiers to the back of the drill, burning and crushing any opposition between them and the metal hide of the great device. They would burn aside its hull and then blast apart its insides, effectively creating a giant tube that allowed them immediate access to the city and from within, they could soften the defenses for the incoming airships, destroy any immediate resistance, and begin subjugating the city appropriately.

And under that orange and black sky, Ako was as thrilled as he could be as he hefted his hammer in both his massive hands, his feet pounding the ground with a raucous excitement that matched his mood. The signal had been passed, the ships had done their job, even if Ako had seen something that had almost looked like a purple flying giant had been hovering off above the wall a ways off in the distance. The general wasn’t sure exactly what this had been, but if that Obito character was to be given any credence, it surely wasn’t something that he needed to be all that surprised about. This day would be full of surprises, the Fire Lord had ambiguously informed him as he had descended from the airship to lead the charge of the ground troops, and this strange violent vision he was having was surely part of that.

They had an ample amount of minutes to reach the drill and perform their duty; whatever defenders of the city were on the ground would be laughably inconsequential by way of being any actual threat to the absolute wave of force that Ako had trailing behind him. He was no bender himself, but to those he would encounter, he would seem as terrifying a force as any bender could be. Distantly, the general wondered if he might spot the Avatar himself or perhaps one of Fire Lord Ozai’s treacherous children. After the absolute humiliation he had suffered at the temple, he wouldn’t mind some payback in the midst of all this victory, and he was sure the Fire Lord wouldn’t mind. It had been rather odd he supposed when he had asked his ruler if there were any specific instructions to be passed among the troops regarding his kin, but the Fire Lord had only responded with a rather dubious reply.

_“It won’t matter.”_

Ako was more than glad to take this to be as much an order as anything he had ever received to turn any and everyone he encountered into pulp, and he rather wondered too if that… other bender would be among them.

He owed that bastard as much punishment as anyone and would never for as long as he lived forgive that Sasuke for his actions against him. The boy had defeated him easily, rendered him helpless and all but turned his own troops against him. Obito had lain out the danger that both Sasuke and his brother posed, but Ako wasn’t worried. He rather hoped that he would be able to find him before the toxin wore off and he would be able to take full advantage of the lack of any sort of relevant force that he would be met with. Already he thought he could see those red eyes, full of fear and regret, staring up at him before Ako’s hammer crushed the life from his body and sent his limp body flying in a broken wreck. It would truly be the icing on the cake for this momentous day.

But then, as he ran listening to the deafening roars of the proud and battle-ready soldiers behind him and feeling the ground quake under his feet, Ako saw someone. Just a single person, a barely perceivable outline on the dusty horizon as the dirt across the plains before Ba Sing Se glistened a dark orange in the light of Sozin’s Comet. That person was running, and it took a moment for Ako to realize that he was running not away form the impending onslaught of insurmountable force and power, but rather was making his way _towards_ them. In fact, the general realized that he was likely quite close to being on a direct collision course with this person himself.

_Who in the world would be coming to meet us?_

Even the idea that someone from the combined forces of the Earth and Fire Nations would, by themselves, attempt to attempt some sort of pathetic suicide charge in an effort to do… anything really was rather humorous in and of itself and through the roar that was coursing through his own throat, Ako gave a bellowing laughter as he the person dashed closer and he realized who it was. That image of a dark-haired youth clad in a grey shirt and thick belt of purple rope around his waist had been something that plagued his mind daily ensured that he made no mistake in identifying this young man, and though he hadn’t thought it possible, his heart soared all the more.

Here he was, that same boy that had spoken to him so condescendingly and so rashly, who had been nothing short of his most humiliating defeat throughout his decades of service under Fire Lord Ozai, and he was heading right towards him.

The general found that he just couldn’t quite restrain himself.

“Come to me, Sasuke!!” he bellowed, his thunderous voice echoing even over the perpetual roaring of his soldiers, adding a new level of din to the mix. “Come to me, and face your—”

Whatever it had been that General Ako had wanted Sasuke to face became a mystery just then as the enormous man cut himself off as he realized just how quickly Sasuke was closing the distance between them.

The boy’s legs were taking long and swift steps as he ran, but each stride carried him a distance that should have been quite impossible for any human. Somehow, he was moving fast enough that it almost seemed like he was never quite moving at all, simply growing larger on the horizon which Ako knew wasn’t possible.

But as Sasuke drew nearer, the general realized something else, something that he would not have been able to prove if he had been asked in that very second. For as he looked at the young man, now bearing down on him with a speed that indicated he would come in contact with Ako’s army within seconds, something within the general’s heart lurched. It was almost as though there were some great invisible force riding alongside Sasuke as he dashed ever closer, swirling and amassing behind him, like some titanic monster ready to do his bidding. Ako could have likened the feeling to that of when you were being watched, but didn’t know from where or how and the feeling was enough to nearly make him want to stop dead in his tracks.

As he listened to his army howl and stampede forward, however, Ako shook the ominous feeling from his mind as one might beat a dusty towel to cleanse it. As Sasuke closed the distance, he drew back his warhammer and prepared to sling it around in a single blow that would turn the young man into a bloody stain.

_I have nothing to fear. Whether or not he can be affected by the toxin makes no difference. One man against the thousands that I have at my back, how truly stupid could a person actually—_

Ako’s thoughts were not to be finished as the gap came to a close. As it happened, the general had been very correct to feel perturbed by some invisible force that was plaguing the space beyond his eyes. For when Sasuke reached him, he had just a moment to look down into the eyes of the young man and see them both alive and red with a furious light as he reached out and placed a hand on the general’s chest.

From an area centralized near Ako’s chest, a shockwave erupted outwards, shooting across the width of the charging army, blowing away those who had been at the front of the charge, scattering their bodies like dry leaves in a windstorm. The general himself had only a moment to feel an immense pressure before his body collapsed in on itself, imploding with a single explosive burst. His twisted remains dropped to the ground as his armor crashed uselessly around him, his hammer now a completely ineffective piece of craft as it too hit the dirt with a thud.

The army of the Fire Nation was brought to a sudden halt as their frontline was blown apart by whatever impossibly strong force had just met them, those further back skidding to a halt where they had been running as they tried to peer over the shoulders of their armored comrades to see why their general had called them to a halt. For that must have been the cause, as what else could possibly have brought them to a halt with Ba Sing Se’s benders having been rendered temporarily harmless and with their own firebending now being as powerful as it ever could be.

He came into their midst with blinding speed, tearing through the middle of the army like a zipper being pulled down. His sword flashed and whipped around like a flash of wind, ripping its way through skin, muscle and bone as fire might burn through wax. Slowly, the army began to conglomerate around this single point of violence, this one figure that had been injected in their previously thought invincible fighting force. But as words were shouted and positions were taken, it became clear that this was not just some lone swordsman with a more impressive than average level of speed and skill. Men and women fell to this force as it drug its way through their number, infinitely ruthless and extremely efficient. Every soldier made to siphon to life a great mass of firebending to quickly end this rampage, but he seemed to be everywhere at once, blade cutting down lives faster than they could blink.

They might have been thousands, but he might just have been unstoppable.

* * *

Hardly able to believe what she was seeing, Mai stared unblinking over the wall at the army that had been only a kilometer or so out from the initial defensive plates of earth that had been raised now entirely stopped dead in its tracks. There had been what had looked like a concussive blast appear at the front of the army and seconds later, a shockwave had rocked its way over the top of the wall, knocking all of them off balance and some of them off their feet. Now, as she stared at the carpet of red clad soldiers beneath them, watching their mass move about in an attempt to perhaps properly react to the new force that they had just come face to face with, she realized that somehow, completely on his own. Sasuke was pushing them _back_.

The whole army was very so gradually shifting and pulling away from the wall as they no doubt tried to react to the one man army that was Sasuke; Mai couldn’t see him in their midst, no matter how desperately she looked, as her heart caught in her chest every time she saw a burst or cyclone of flame erupt from somewhere down below. But as the occasional attacks kept coming, she realized that Sasuke must still be down there, moving his way through their number with speed and precision, just as he had on the beach when they had been attacked by the tribesmen.

It was only when she was knocked aside by Azula that she remembered exactly where she was, the mesmerized trance she had been under breaking at the physical contact.

“I can’t believe he went down there by himself!!” Azula was half-shouting, half-moaning. Mai looked at the princess to see her shaking as she dropped to her hands and knees at the edge of the wall, peering over its side with wide eyes. Her voice almost didn’t seem to match the desperation that was clinging to it and Mai looked around to see that everyone else, as far down as the eye could see, was staring over the side of the wall, equally stunned and open-mouthed.

“There’s nothing any of us could do to help him,” Mai managed to say in as measured a tone as she could manage, even as she tried to control her own shaking hands. She jumped then as Azula leapt to her feet and spun around, grabbing Mai by the collar and hissing furiously at her.

“You shut up, you impertinent slut!!” Azula seethed; her hair was in disarray, her mouth formed in a furious snarl and her eyes wide and furious. She looked quite as insane as Mai had always feared she might be deep down and she felt her own heart rate quicken at the state of her childhood friend.

The princess’s voice was shaking as she clung to Mai’s front and it was then that Mai realized just how much Azula wasn’t in control on top of being both panicked and in a rage. “You see why he’s doing this?! He’s trying to protect me!! But I don’t need his protection, I need to protect _him_ , don’t you see?! He’s all I have!!”

It was rather as though this confession that Azula was blustering through was the only thing keeping her from flinging herself off the wall that very moment, something to ground her and keep herself from giving completely into panic. Very slowly, Mai took Azula’s wrists as not to exacerbate her frenzied state even further as Azula continued to babble desperately.

“When my bending returns, the very moment that it returns, I’ll be by his side and he’ll know that I’ll follow him anywhere, into anything, he’ll know then, he will…”

She trailed off and fell into what was essentially just gibberish in the form of muttering. Mai kept her eyes on Azula for a long couple moments before gently letting her go; as if sprung from a leash, Azula fell back to the ground and crawled to the edge of the wall, staring over it as she quaked anxiously. Keeping her eyes on the princess for a good few seconds, Mai slowly began to sidestep to where she saw Suki looking grimly down at the battle, her mouth a tight line and her expression fierce and afraid. In all honesty, Mai didn’t know if she had exchanged more than a few passing remarks with the Kyoshi warrior and she had to imagine that Suki didn’t exactly probably bear a great deal of pleasantry towards her; it had, after all, been her, Ty Lee and Azula who had taken down her and her squad of Kyoshi warriors and had used their uniforms to ultimately take over the very city who’s walls they now stood on. But Suki hadn’t gone out of her way to be vindictive at any point and had more than anything proven herself to be a very valuable ally and capable fighter, enough so that she had been handpicked by Sasuke to go on his reconnaissance mission. If there was anyone that Mai could trust to be levelheaded right about then, it was her.

While Ty Lee would have been the first choice purely based on preference, Mai could tell just by looking at her acrobatic friend that she was in a place where what she was about to ask could totally send Ty Lee into a nervous breakdown. And as she looked further behind her, she saw that Katara already no doubt had her hands full.

The sight of Toph was enough to almost melt Mai’s heart then and there. For all her loud, rambunctious and hyper energy had annoyed Mai over the months of chasing and even the days of traveling, it was clear to her then just how out of her element Toph was, and that Iroh had been entirely correct for at least wishing some of them were spared being here for this day.

The girl had a fist near her mouth and looked like she was chewing on her knuckles. To a passerby, it might have just looked like she was just rather nervous, but at every distant thud or boom that followed an explosive fireball on the battlefield below, Toph gave a deep, rattling shudder as though she had been just doused in a tank of freezing water. Each time it happened, her jerking spasm was brief, but so terribly violent as though with every sound, she was imagining Sasuke dying.

It was all Mai could do to try and keep herself from imagining the same thing.

As per Sasuke’s request, Katara was standing just behind Toph, ready to act if the moment called for it. As Mai passed by, Katara met her gaze with a steely look before looking back down towards the carnage below; in a less intense situation, Mai might have considered giving the waterbender a humorless smirk, after what they had heard from Sasuke, but now was hardly the time to even touch on being antagonistic with one another. Katara had a hand on Toph’s shoulder as she looked ahead resolutely, not an excessively tight grip, but enough to make her the first to know if anything in the event that it became too much for her. Should Toph attempt anything wild or sudden, she would be able to restrain her and keep her in place.

For Mai, it was a much different story and before bending abilities were restored to everyone atop the wall, she would have to act quickly.

She sidled up to Suki and spoke quickly and quietly in her ear. Next to the Kyoshi warrior, Sokka turned his head towards them with curiosity, but Mai only could watch Suki and hope that the girl would be amenable to her words. She paused a long moment before turning her gaze towards Mai and giving her a firm nod; feeling some notion of relief, Mai returned the gesture and began to slowly back towards where she had been standing.

The relative silence and awe that had taken over the top of the wall was encroached on again as Mai heard General Gokan speak up, his voice no longer bound by that dismissive hate that he had aired towards those of Ozai’s family not minutes ago.

“Iroh… I don’t suppose you’d care to tell me exactly who that boy is?” he asked, in a voice rich with disbelief.

“I wouldn’t know where to even begin telling you,” Iroh said quietly, and Mai noted the sadness in his voice as she moved into position. “He’s not of our kind, certainly not of this world. His abilities transcend what we believe to be anything even close to natural and I can’t claim to how and what that might be.”

The general’s voice took on a layer of frustration. “But you brought him here. Acted like you knew him.”

“I know what he wanted,” Iroh corrected. “Perhaps he never outright told me, but based on his reactions to certain people and when being told certain things, I could tell he would be on our side for this. That being said, I hope you understand that I never at any point—”

Though Mai was actually quite curious as to what Iroh had been about to say, she needed only to exchange a sideways look at Suki as they both stood equidistant from their target before she moved forward quickly, the rope she had acquired from one of the caches of supplies ready to be used.

Suki moved first, coming up from behind Azula and wrapping her arms around the princess’s biceps and pulling them behind her back.

“What are you… how _dare_ you lay your hands on me!!” Azula started to shriek, going from a state of disbelief to fury in just a moment. As Suki went down to her knees to keep Azula from standing up and gaining any physical leverage, Mai slipped in as well, running the length of rope around Azula’s forearms and began to tie it tightly. As she no doubt realized what was happening, the princess began to writhe and shout, but without her bending, Suki was a match for her strength and while she grunted and grimaced at the resistance, she held Azula still enough for Mai to bind her arms behind her back.

“Lay her on her stomach,” she said loudly over Azula’s increasingly frantic protests and Suki complied; as Mai moved into position near Azula’s legs, she saw that unsurprisingly, attention had been brought their way as the spectacle unfolded. Zuko and Iroh were the first to move towards her, the former shouting, “Mai, what are you doing?!”

Iroh was just behind him, but his expression was much more controlled, looking almost as though he knew this was something that needed to happen. Mai watched him as a pained look came over his face and he turned and walked into the mass of soldiers, slowly disappearing from sight, surely caught up in the fact that he didn’t want to see his niece like this. As Aang came up behind Zuko, and took his arm, Zuko shook it free angrily, repeating again as he stood over Mai.

“What are you doing?!”

“What needs to be done!!” Mai snapped furiously at him and this cowed him for at least a moment and she took the time to bind Azula’s legs together as Suki knelt over her the princess’s back, holding her in place. When the act was finished, Mai stood up and Suki followed suit; both breathing somewhat heavily after having to deal with the struggle of keeping Azula still enough to be bound, they looked down at her and Mai couldn’t help but feel something like a sick twist of pleasure in her gut to see the mighty Azula reduced to this.

Azula thrashed about, cursing and yelling furiously as she tried to work her way through her bonds. It was no secret that bending was a very physical art, and movements had to be achieved in order to access it; with Azula unable to move her arms or legs in any meaningful sort of way in that sense, she would be unable to do much of anything, even after her chi flow was reopened as the toxin wore off. Mai watched Azula for several long seconds to ensure that the job she had done with her bindings had been sufficient before turning to Zuko and the others.

“The last thing we need is for her to get her bending back and then rocket off down there and get killed trying to help Sasuke,” she said plainly, looking around and daring anyone to challenge that line of thinking. Iroh maintained his sad expression while Zuko worked a muscle in his jaw before finally gritting his teeth and looking away. Ty Lee had her eyes closed and it looked like she was trying to do all that she could to not hear Azula’s furious protests, but she fortunately raised no grievances of her own. Mai finally met Katara’s eyes and the waterbender gave her a look of vague approval.

Turning to General Gokan who was looking on with polite interest, the soldiers to his right also peering over to get a glance at whatever was causing such a ruckus, Mai asked, “You mentioned something about holding cells, general? If I can ask, might we have access to one?”

Gokan eyed her with what she realized was a distantly impressed look before nodding and giving her directions without a moment’s hesitation. Looking back to Suki, Mai and her both moved in and they both put an arm underneath each of Azula’s armpits and hauled her up as she shrieked and squirmed in their arms.

Getting her down below took a bit of effort, but Mai’s own toned form were of sufficient aid in easing the struggle and Suki had her matched in that regard, perhaps even more so. They pulled her down below into the wall and marched down a long dark hallway lit by lamplight. Mai realized that she had not known the great wall of Ba Sing Se was actually full of hollowed innards, passages and rooms littered within and she wondered if this was something the Fire Nation was even aware of.

They finally reached the door that Gokan had indicated they would find and Mai reached her free hand out to pick up the large, thick key that hung from an iron on the wall. With a grunt, she was able to throw the heavy door open and she and Suki pulled Azula into the room. The princess was growing more and more frantic now, her curses and threats becoming higher and higher pitched as she wriggled about violently. Suki looked at her with visible discomfort.

“You sure this is a good idea?”

Mai thought back to the look on Sasuke’s face when he had taken her and Katara aside and closed her eyes; it had been the first time she had ever seen fear reflected on his face, though he had clearly been doing all he could to hide it. He cared about all of them and his fear wasn’t of facing down an army by himself, but rather what might happen to any single one of them if he wasn’t there to protect them.

_You really do care, you angsty son of a bitch._

She brought herself back to the present and gave a firm nod, turning towards Suki.

“You can head back up, I’ll make sure she gets locked in tight.”

The two of them watched one another carefully for a long moment before Suki nodded and marched out of the cell; just as she was passing through the doorframe, Mai called out.

“Hey, Suki?”

She didn’t look back but heard the footsteps stop and she said quietly, “Thanks.”

Mai could practically hear Suki smiling softly. “No problem.”

Continuing to stare down at the once high and mighty Princess Azula now thrashing and cursing at her feet, Mai waited until a good while had passed after she heard Suki’s footsteps fade away.

There was so much she felt towards Azula just then, but her mouth wasn’t capable of forming words that would accurately relay those emotions. There was fear, anger, pity, affection and loathing all wrapped up into one as she looked down towards Azula, watching her hair fly around her face as she twisted every which way to try and free herself. But finally, Mai realized, there wasn’t anything she really would have wanted to say anyway. Her friend needed help, so much beyond what she could offer, and there was nothing Mai could do for her other than keep her safe. Turning, she made to leave as well and close the cell door behind her.

“Mai!!”

At Azula’s desperate cry, Mai grit her teeth and stood poker-straight for a long moment before reluctantly turning to look towards the ground.

The orange light from the lamps in the hall cast over Azula’s body as she looked back at Mai. She was no longer struggling, no longer pulling against the rope that bound her. Her eyes stared up at Mai, wide and emotional and as Mai saw the desperation on her face, she tried her best to remain resolute even as her heart ached terribly.

“Mai, please,” she begged from the ground. “Please don’t leave me here. I’m just frightened for him is all, I’m not going to go do something rash or foolish, you know me, Mai! How many times have we fought together, and I always make the smart moves, I’m not my brother!”

Looking down at her, Mai ran her tongue over her teeth.

“That was before Sasuke, ‘Zula.”

Squirming slightly in order to prop herself up as best she could, Azula continued to stare at Mai with those widened eyes, face pulled in a mask of sheer desperation.

“Maybe I feel something for him, Mai, but that isn’t going to make me go get myself killed!”

Crossing her arms, Mai stared back at her. “You just told me that as soon as you got your bending back you were going to rush down there to be at his side.”

Shaking her head with a manic laugh, Azula replied, “That was just nothing, just some emotion I needed to vent! Mai, please, we’re friends, aren’t we? You’re really going to do this to me?”

Even as Azula spoke, Mai felt bile rise in her throat as she recognized what she was seeing, furious at herself for having not seen it before. It was a tactic she had seen Azula use since they were kids, against her, Ty Lee and her brother many times. She knew that they cared about her and she was able to take that and manipulate it; all the times she had used it on Zuko to keep him from running to their mother, and all the times she had used it to force Mai or Ty Lee to do something she wanted, or to keep them quiet. It had worked for her again and again, and now here she was, using it during perhaps what might be the most important day of their lives.

Mai wasn’t quite sure how she could feel this disgusted without being ill.

“You’re sick, Azula. Maybe you can be helped when this is all over, but I’m not going to have you causing chaos up there because you’ve decided the only thing of any importance in this world is Sasuke. He deserves someone healthier than you, to boot.”

She turned away to leave, and then jumped as Azula flew into a fresh frenzy, curses flying from her lips, her eyes wild and burning once again.

“Don’t you fucking leave me in here, you rotten bitch!! I’m the only one who deserves him, who needs him, I’m not going to let you or anyone else take him away from me!! You let me out right fucking now, or so help me, you dirty slut, I will—”

Mai wasn’t interested in hearing what Azula would do with her and she slammed the door shut behind her with a loud boom. As she twisted the key in the lock, she could still hear Azula shrieking and howling, but she did her best to block the sound out. She stood before the door a long moment before reaching up and gently putting her hands against the metal of it, wondering if there really was any way to get her friend back.

Then, she turned and quickly marched back down the hall, before that march became a job as she felt her eyes start to burn with tears.

Since, quite honestly, she didn’t know if Azula had ever been more than this.

* * *

Rather akin to his slaughter of the tribesmen on the beach those nights ago, Sasuke lost count relatively quickly. Keeping track of the lives he had cut down was just another piece of his consciousness that wasn’t constantly alert and keeping him moving, even as his muscles began to burn and his breathing started to come in as ragged gasps.

He was so intent on using as little chakra as possible to aid him in this endeavor, and as such, the wear of moving as fast as was, as efficiently as he was, was starting to take a toll. As his sword dulled itself with each passing swipe that truncated and each thrust that punctured, he could tell the army around him was starting to grow more and more desperate. Initially, they had been completely hesitant to try and utilize their bending on him due to the what was surely the possibility setting in that they might strike one of their comrades. Now, as they no doubt realized the gravity of what Sasuke being in their midst meant, they were starting to grow more bold and frantic in their attempts to stop his rampage. What had initially been a few fireballs and fire whips thrown his way had practically evolved into a full blown firestorm directed everywhere Sasuke’s feet touched down. With half the soldiers trying to scorch him from the earth and the other half needed to control the assaults as they missed Sasuke and neared towards them instead, it had become very much was starting to feel to Sasuke like he was trying to fight inside an active volcano.

As he somersaulted over a roaring jet of orange heat and dashed past a cyclone of fire before it could gain purchase on him, he cut down several more soldiers and raced away back into the midst of the living before enough firepower to disintegrate a building struck down where he had been standing not a millisecond before. The soldiers themselves were his best cover as he was well aware that even one explosive attack from one of these men could be properly devastating. He remembered how even a few men had been able to strike him in his blindside hard enough to send his Susanoo reeling and he could only imagine what could happen should he take even a single hit like that now. He had several defensive jutsus on standby if they were necessary, but they were mostly last resorts, and Sasuke did not at all want to be forced into that position.

Still, he thought, as he narrowly avoided another series of searing fire based eruptions, he probably couldn’t keep this game up for much longer, just restricted to a sword. He had cut down hundreds by this point and while his arms burned and he regularly had to blink blood out of his eyes, he didn’t want to have to start breaking out his bigger weapons.

 _I don’t have a choice_ , he thought grimly as a whirlwind of an inferno blew past his face with enough heat to water his eyes and make him wince.

_Try this on for firebending._

Spinning and quickly trying to identify the best placement for his next move, he picked the first large cluster of soldiers he saw; his sword was sheathed before he snapped off his hand seals as quickly as he could before drawing in breath and releasing it as a great exhale that coalesced into a fireball quite as large as anything they had yet thrown at him. It struck the Fire Nation soldiers in a plume that exploded dozens of meters across and arced upwards, licking the sky with its many orange tongues; many of the men and women he attacked were surely burned away instantly, and others further back had been flung away like a child hurling a ragdoll. To his mild surprise, several pockets of unharmed soldiers opened up as the fire dissipated and he saw that they had acted quickly enough to block his attack. Stupid, he thought, to use fire on a people exclusively able to manipulate said element.

He didn’t have time to berate himself and instead dashed in the same direction his attack had been cast from, redrawing his sword and slicing down the soldiers nearest to him. Even as he pushed through them and deeper into the army, he skidded to a halt as he saw what had been lying even further back.

Several long lines of what appeared to be giant lizards with horns protruding from their snouts were barreling forwards at what was quite an impressive speed, Fire Nation soldiers mounted on their backs, shouting and urging them forward as the beasts all gave an orchestra of booming roars. Sasuke had only a moment to give the new monsters decorated in red before him a glance before exploding towards them just as quickly as they were stampeding towards him. He had no idea exactly what these creatures were that the Fire Nation was using as mounts, but he had a pretty good idea they weren’t immune to electricity. Chidori burst to life around his wrists as he raced towards the slew of monstrous lizards and just before he came in contact with the line, he kicked off from the ground and twisted his crackling blue electricity into Chidori Current that spit from all over his body; slicing in between a pair of the mounts, he extended his hands and allowed the current to ripple out of his body and snap through the entire line of horned lizards and their riders. There was an awful screeching sound as their bodies perfectly conducted his Chidori’s energy and there was a great flash of light blue as they were all fried by his output. Sasuke didn’t even need to turn and watch them all collapse in a smoking heap before he was met by another encircling series of new potential threats.

Two massive swarms of soldiers were barreling towards him on the left and right, and dead in the center was a stream of metal masses, treads on their sides that sent them tearing forwards. Sasuke assumed these must have been much smaller versions of the giant metal drill he had seen buried in the wall of Ba Sing Se; ‘tanks’ he believed he had heard Sokka mention? No matter their verbiage, Sasuke doubted that he wanted to be on the receiving end of any of these metal monsters were they to collide with him, but quite fortunately, they were moving slow enough that he was able to run to meet them as well, bringing his Sharingan to life and directing it towards the walls of soldiers that were collapsing on either side of him. He was also aware of the fact that the rest of the army was closing up behind him, shifting and surging to wrap around him in a mass of thousands, but this was truly more encouraging than anything. They were still focused on him and him alone.

Funneling chakra into a precise line that traveled the length of his body and wrapped him in furious energy, Sasuke bent his knees just before reaching the opposition and then sent a single punch into the steel hide of the lead tank. Its frame bent and crunched around his blow and the tank itself blew backwards, tossed like a child, as it collided with the other tanks in its division, most all of them being flipped and spun away as the retort of Sasuke’s hit resounded with a boom over the landscape.

There wasn’t remotely time to congratulate himself however as they two pronged attack of the soldiers came to a head on either side of him; Sasuke was forced to leap towards one of the tanks he hadn’t sent flying as a myriad of flaming attacks struck the area where he had been standing just a moment before, turning the area into a exploding mass of heat and light that he could feel against his back. Coming out of the leap into a roll, he extended an arm and seized the tank by one of its treads and with a powerful tank, he whipped it over his head to smash into one of the waves of attackers, crushing a chunk of them outright and scattering the rest.

Sasuke had to leap to the side to avoid another series of blasts as they were fired at him from another tank, but he could just so much as touch down before the other company of soldiers caught him in their sights and began sending fire raining down upon him in a storm of searing energy that he was just able to slip through by use of his Sharingan. He drew his Chidori to life, but before he even had a chance to release it, a tornado of flame came blowing towards him in the direction the tanks had been coming from. He just avoided it and saw soldiers pouring past the ruined tanks, seemingly endless in number as the ones at his back continued to thunder his way.

In the split second he had, Sasuke made several clear determinations.

Firstly, the number of soldiers was much less a problem then was the gravity of the power willed to them by this damned comet.

Secondly, what he really needed was a little bit of time to make his plan work and he knew of a very easy way this time could be managed.

But that was only if he could pull this off.

Drawing back his sword, he slashed it across his open palm, and slammed the hand against the ground promptly, all five fingers spread like the legs of a spider.

_Summoning Technique!_

As he had expected, managing the summon was enough for him to truly feel the chakra reserves inside him dwindle, but there was also a terrible stabbing pain in his gut that he hadn’t been anticipating. Nonetheless, in a cloud of dust the size a sizeable town, a great shadow spread to life around him, coiled and massive.

Even as he acknowledged that his summon had worked, the pain caused his head to swoon dangerously for a moment and he reached out, pressing a hand against the massive form to steady himself.

“Lord Sasuke… what is this?”

The voice was impossibly massive and rumbling, speaking to the raw scale of the being itself. Aoda, a snake who coiled may have been the size of a small mountain, was wrapped in an area around Sasuke now, his dark shape a stark contrast to the sickly orange sky above. Sasuke could hear screams and shouts from the soldiers on the other side of Aoda’s massive coils, but he knew they didn’t have much time before eventually they would wise up and begin attacking again, and with the firepower at their disposal, even the snake’s extremely thick hide wouldn’t be able to withstand it for long.

“Something is very wrong…” Aoda continued. “I feel out of place and quite ill, Lord Sasuke. Where is it you have brought me?”

Even as he said this, Sasuke looked to see that the snake’s enormous form seemed to almost be rippling before his very eyes, as though there was a piece of him that wasn’t quite present.

“Not in our world, Aoda,” Sasuke replied with a gasp, trying his best to use oxygen to ease away the pain that he had been stricken with. “However the summoning technique works in its own intricacies, it allowed me to pull you to the world I was cast into myself. How I am here remains a mystery to me, but now is not the time to discuss the oddness of our predicament. I require your assistance.”

“I am yours to command, my lord,” the snake replied in a rumbling hiss that practically shook the ground at his feet. “But I warn you… there is a pull on my very self. A feeling that I don’t belong and I fear that it may not be your will that bids me to return to my home.”

_Something to do with bringing him to this world means I don’t have a hold on him like I would were I from my own world. If I only have him for a brief period beyond my will, I need to act quickly; if that pain I felt when summoning him, or the discomfort he’s feeling now are any indication, trying to summon him again if he is returned to my world could be disastrous for both of us._

“I understand,” Sasuke said. “But what I need isn’t much from you.”

He waved a hand in a weary gesture. “I’m rather surrounded by soldiers from an army I’m at war with. I need them distracted and kept from me while I work my Amaterasu.”

“Hmm, in a new land and already finding yourself directly in the center of a war; not much has changed with you, has it, Sasuke?”

With his fragmented memory such as it was, Sasuke’s immediate response wanted to demand what it was Aoda meant by that, but he caught himself before his curiosity and desperation to fill in the missing gaps of his recollections was struck away as he remembered the situation at hand.

“Can you do it?” he asked the massive snake and Aoda made a deep, thrumming sound that Sasuke imagined must have been laughter, but he still was able to feel pain in the reply and he knew that Aoda was hurting more than he let on.

“With ease, my lord.”

Moving slowly at first, shifting his enormous mass and weight, Aoda began to swirl around Sasuke, kicking up a massive storm of dust as he did. Within moments, he was thrashing and swirling in the area around where Sasuke stood, the noise of his movement deafening and the screams of the Fire Nation army just enough to be heard over him. Sasuke caught glimpses of them behind the coils of the great snake, the ones closest to the chaos being crushed and flung about, those further back scampering around, desperately trying to regroup. But already, some were whipping up their firebending again, no doubt to unleash on Aoda’s hide.

Sasuke thought regretfully on the fact that if Aoda had been at one hundred percent, he probably could have cleaved his way through the army on his own, but in the state that he was in, he was doing all he could just serving as a shocking and massive distraction. Smirking as he thought of Ozai’s face as he gazed upon Aoda’s massiveness and wondered if it at all had struck a pang of fear in the Fire Lord’s heart before he gathered himself and brought Amaterasu to life, black fire swirling to life around him in the space cleared for him by Aoda’s circular coils. But as he concentrated it, bringing it to life as blood ran down his cheeks, he directed it not at the army around his massive living barricade, but rather towards the sky itself.

_It worked once… I can’t imagine it wouldn’t work again._

* * *

Ozai raced up the steps to the observation deck just in time to see what appeared to be the snake larger enough to swallow one of his airships whole begin to roil and smash about on the battlefield below. He could do nothing short of stop and stare, his eyes wide and his mouth agape; truly, what had become of their world with these… unnatural men within it?

His army stretched out across the entire ground beneath as the airships drew closer, but they were ants in proportion to the gargantuan snake; he saw them starting to regroup, fire bursting from their amassed thousands below, some attacks missing, some splashing against the snake’s hide. Ozai wondered if these attacks were even so much as annoying the beast.

“Sasuke was able to summon… I truly wasn’t sure if that were even possible.”

At the voice, Ozai finally was able to yank his vision away from the truly awful and bewildering spectacle below and turn towards Obito who had already been on the deck, no doubt watching as well. The Fire Lord stormed up to him; calling him irate in that moment would have been something close to an understatement.

“This is part of your plan, is it?! My army being trampled and crushed, the toxin being wasted as we are no closer to breaching the walls of Ba Sing Se?! We were observing the battle even before that… that… that _monster_ appeared and Sasuke was tearing through my soldiers like wet paper!! Do you seek to sabotage my chances by having my army destroyed?!”

Obito regarded him with a flat look that sent a further stake of anger into the Fire Lord’s gut; he was not used to being regarded with something so close to contempt and seeing that expression on Obito’s face now was enough to nearly drive him into a raging frenzy.

“I informed you losses would be inevitable, did I not?” the scarred man asked and Ozai grit his teeth.

“Casualties of war, you said, not the majority of my ground forces!!”

Turning to look back out over the battlefield, Obito gestured, “All is going perfectly according to plan. Do you see those black lines?”

It took Ozai a moment to clear his vision of both anger and to look past the enormous form of the snake to see that there did indeed appear to be black tendrils wisping from the space encircled by the serpent’s immense coils.

“Yes I do,” Ozai snapped grudgingly and Obito nodded.

“Sasuke is being worn down. That purple figure in the distance you and your cabinet of military commanders witnessed destroying your advance ships? That was him using his Susanoo. He’s already been slowly burning through his chakra by fighting your army, and he’s only further sapped his reserves by summoning Aoda and even more so now by using his Amaterasu in such a way.”

As Obito spoke, Ozai felt his already wire thin patience being stretched even further.

“Speak plainly, outsider!” he barked. “All I’ve seen are my vessels and soldiers being destroyed and I have nothing to show for it! The toxin will wear off soon and the benders at the wall will reacquire their abilities and the effort I put into tunneling into the city will be for naught!!”

Again, Obito turned to face him, his expression almost tired, as though he were explaining something to a child.

“Fire Lord, you say that this wall is your greatest obstacle, yes? Beyond any bender, including the Avatar himself?”

“Yes!!” Ozai practically bellowed. “Even with the power aided to us by Sozin’s Comet, our airships cannot ascend much higher than the wall’s height itself, and their position is nearly indefinitely defensible!! If there weren’t a wall, sieging the city would become a fraction of the difficulty it currently presents and there would be absolutely nothing to keep our ships from soaring over its boundaries and burning it to the ground. If we cannot breach the wall at the drill’s entrance point by the time that—”

“Forget about the wall. I’ll have it dealt with,” Obito said and Ozai’s anger hit a breaking point. As he reached a hand for the younger man’s shoulder, intent on shaking some sense into his clearly confused head, Obito did something rather unexpected then and turned to put his hands on the railing on the edge of the deck that stretched from beneath the airship. Within a split second, he had vaulted over the side of it and into open air; Ozai rushed to the edge to see Obito’s body seem to almost defy gravity itself and begin to fly towards the battlefield. The Fire Lord watched as Obito soared further and further away until he had disappeared as a speck against the carnage of the battle below, leaving Ozai to wonder, not for the first time, just what it was that he had agreed to.

* * *

“Lord Sasuke,” came the thunderous, trembling voice of Aoda. “I fear I cannot hold out much longer. My pull on from this realm is worsening and their fire is beginning to sear through my hide. I can go on the offensive and strike at them, if it would please you.”

Sasuke didn’t reply immediately as he stared up towards the sky that he had been intently focused on for the past couple minutes; the black clouds above still retained there color and massive shape, but he could see them flickering now, as heat lightning coursed through their composition. He ceased casting his Amaterasu and took a careful, measured breath.

“That will not be necessary,” he informed Aoda. “You’ve given me all the time and protection I’ll need.”

As he prepared to banish his summon back to whence the great snake had come from, there came a single, selfish thought that passed through Sasuke’s mind with all the allure of a seductress’s kiss.

_Take me back with you._

Just as he had tried with Manda, could he not return to his world with Aoda as a result of the summoning jutsu? Was it not at least worth a try?

With a frown, Sasuke shook his head; he wasn’t even sure Aoda was going to survive the trip home, and who knew just what could happen if he tried to join the massive snake. That pain he had felt in his gut for tampering with the bridge between worlds in such a way surely wasn’t something that he could assume was a one time deal if he continued to risk such action.

That, and he imagined if he up and left now, he would spend the rest of his life cursing himself for a self-centered coward.

_I’ll find my way back in my own time._

“Keep yourself safe, my lord,” Aoda said in finality before his enormous form was obscured by a cloud of smoke as he was banished back to his place of dwelling. Sasuke spared a thought of gratitude for the snake, and a silent hope that he survived the journey back before returning his attention to the situation at hand.

As the smoke began to clear, he could see that he was indeed standing in a clearing now by himself, his only company being the charred and crushed bodies of those Fire Nation soldiers who had met their end at his hand or at the behest of Aoda’s substantial coils. He could sense their fear, their confusion, but he knew that, based on what he had already experienced, he didn’t have long before they regained control of their senses, saw that the snake they had been battling was gone, and see Sasuke all by himself. It would be at that point that all his efforts might have been for nothing if he didn’t act appropriately now.

But Sasuke still allowed himself a moment to offer a grim smile.

He wasn’t sure exactly how many lives he was about to end with this move, but he imagined it would be plenty enough to force the army to scatter and reform, giving the benders at the wall time to regain their abilities, given the time he was sapping away. From there, he could return to the wall and give himself at least a brief moment to hang back and recharge himself; he could reform Susanoo to deal with the ever-approaching airships and still have the wherewithal to face down Obito if and when he arrived with the benders atop the wall able to assist him then.

Even as he thought that however, he paused a moment, feeling something akin to worry pierce his mind.

Why hadn’t he seen Obito yet?

No matter, he supposed as he raised a hand into the air as he watched Fire Nation soldiers on all sides of him point in his direction and shout distant orders that he could hardly make out with as far away from him as they were, before they all came bearing down on him again. Sasuke granted them the diligence of being briefly impressed by their pure commitment and ability to never seem to want to back down, regardless of the pure anomaly-based chaos they were presented with. No matter his superhuman abilities and speed, his extreme power, nor even his massive snake that he had just summoned to his side, they still tore the ground in his direction, roaring with never-ending confidence and passion.

And Sasuke was about to extinguish a great many of them with just a flick of his fingers.

Lightning arced down from above, catching his raised and extended fingers and letting him shape and harness the supreme flow of energy above and he pulled it together. It struck him as almost humorous how weakened he had been the last time he had used this ability, how just his skirmish with Ozai and his men and then finally use of this technique had brought him to his knees. Now, it barely seemed to so much as graze his chakra reserves as the storm above crackled and transformed. He looked up with a smile to see Kirin descending from the sky, a massive dragon formed by the blue prongs of energy that made up the lightning itself, even as it flickered with black and red colorations as a result of the Amaterasu that had been used to superheat the atmosphere and bring it to life.

Sasuke didn’t so much as hesitate as he sent the payload crashing down into the head of the army. Even standing as distant as he was from the point the attack made ground, he still felt his very form rocked and it was only by harnessing chakra at his feet was he able to keep himself from being blown away. The world lit up with an unnatural blue light as the earth itself seemed to roar as a flood of lightning exploded over its surface. Sasuke closed his eyes, silently allowing himself to feel the passing of a great many as his Kirin laid waste to Ozai’s forces.

The moment of the attack only lasted a few seconds, as deafening and blinding as it was. When the light faded and the roar of the attack became nothing more than a ringing in Sasuke’s ears, he opened his eyes to see what he had wrought.

Where the forefront of the army had been running towards him, there was now a blackened crater many hundreds of meters across, indented about a dozen meters into the earth itself. There were no bodies to be seen, no specks of red armor or the glint of pale skin against the now scorched ground, merely the now yawning bowl of sizzling dirt to mark their absence. On the other side of it, Sasuke could see a great many forces that hadn’t been terminated standing as tiny red dots on the horizon. He was certain that they would no doubt rally yet again, but he had dealt a truly devastating blow and could now let them come to him and he could resume slicing away their number. Surely there wasn’t much time left before the ability to bend returned to those at the wall far behind him, and perhaps he would even be able to get to Obito before the bastard got to him.

Thinking that perhaps things might indeed work out for the better, Sasuke began to work his way around the crater in a slight run, a spring in his step as he drew his sword and summoned Chidori to his hand yet again.

So much so was he concentrated on pushing forward, he never once thought to look back; if he had, he just might have seen a single black dot in the sky, soaring its way through the wall of Ba Sing Se.

* * *

The mood atop the wall had not changed from its mood of utter shock and wonder, though perhaps it had drifted into a deeper state of such. From Sasuke’s initial dismemberment of the Fire Nation’s ground forces, to the appearance of what appeared to be a serpent of truly gargantuan size, to the only just now advent of what a dragon made of solid lightning that impacted the ground hard enough to practically shake the very walls of Ba Sing Se itself. As such, no one was gazing in a direction other than the battlefield and thus, no one noticed the single figure gliding to a halt in front of the wall, directly in the center of its line of defenders.

Through the enhanced vision his Sharingan offered, Obito focused in on the group that Sasuke had been traveling with, the people that had aided him in his assault of Ozai’s fleet and from whom he had witnessed all levels of emotion towards Sasuke’s mere existence.

There was the waterbending girl who had attempted to snuff out his life, eyes wide and with a hand over her mouth. There was the airheaded acrobat who seemed to be hiding half her vision behind a hand, as though that would keep her from witnessing history before her. He saw the disgraced prince so close to edge of the wall, he might have fallen off as he gazed with extreme intensity towards the spectacle, as well as the woman Obito had thought to be his girlfriend looking guilty and ill, almost remorseful in fact.

The waterbender’s brother and his warrior girlfriend, tightly clinging to one another as though ensuring their own sanity by gripping onto one another for dear life. There too was that little earthbender, with so much fire and passion in her heart that Obito had seen. In a way, she had seemed almost more mature than all other members of the party, certainly more so than that intensely abrasive and perhaps psychotic princess, who he found he was unable to spot.

But finally, his gaze fell to rest on the boy, the Avatar, whom supposedly carried all the weight of the world on his shoulders. Obito had felt pity for him more than once while being undercover, and even now, there was a piece of him that very much wished there was another way.

However, they had been children, but if Ozai’s words bore any credence, they had allied themselves with a tyrannical leadership under the Earth Nation. And at the end of the day, Obito had only two concerns: rescuing Iroh and returning home to Rin. And if this was the only way to do so, than so be it.

He raised his arms to angle away from his body, palms open as he gathered Chakra to his Rinnegan, breathing in deeply and surrendering himself to the power he was attempting to harness. Obito was well aware based on the one time he had witnessed this technique before that it would certainly sap him of a great deal of his energy, perhaps even render him unconscious if he wasn’t truly in control, but he still knew that he had to proceed.

Perhaps the truly observant on the wall above him now would have felt what was a strange pulling sensation, but it was less that they were then being pulled themselves and rather that the very energy around them was being pulled past them. There wasn’t a particular element to what Obito was tapping into, but nothing short of pure force was presently gathering around his very form, compressed in such a way that seemed to make the very air before him ripple and shudder. A feeling was gathering inside Obito, one that he knew he wasn’t going to able to control for very long, rather akin to a cough that was building and building; it would have to be released, but he needed as much time to heighten the power before it was sent repulsed from him.

The wall before him was even more massive than he had anticipated from observing it from far off; it seemed to stretch in all directions as oppressively massive as the sky itself. But it was just stone, stone and foundation, and Obito could take advantage of that.

He allowed himself a last moment to look to the mass of soldiers and defenders just above him on the wall, hoping that perhaps he might spot Iroh in their midst, but he was of course disappointed. The old man was surely rotting in a cell somewhere, no doubt being mistreated in his imprisonment. At this thought, any hesitation Obito had about his present action was lost, and his mouth formed a sneer as he ushered in the final seconds of the wall of Ba Sing Se.

“Almighty… “

As he spoke the first word, he looked up to spot the Avatar a last time, a beacon of misguided hope and emotion. A child who, for all intents and purposes, had been as mistreated by this world as anyone could be.

 _A shame,_ Obito thought. _Truly._

He finished the cast and felt a wave of raw power, power as immense as anything he had ever felt, surge through and out of him, and the world truly fell to chaos.

“… Push.”


	25. Chapter 25

** Chapter 25: Obito’s Move **

The darkness was doing nothing but intensify Azula’s increasingly furious state as she ran about her blackened cell, running into anything and everything as she did her best to wear down the restraints that were still keeping her arms restricted. She had managed to work off the rope around her legs through a matter of tearing her clothes and scratching bloody burns up and down shins. That bitch had done quite the job securing her and she was deeply starting to feel what might have been a madness induced panic attack gripping her as she could find absolutely no way of loosening the bindings on her arms.

Running around in pitch black made things worse as she could find nothing that she might be able to use to cut through the rope, or slacken it to the point of being able to make her escape. Every time she managed to calm herself to the point where she could lower herself to the floor and feel around for something that could aid her, thoughts of Sasuke fighting alone tore at her conscience and she began to scream again and resume her frantic movements.

It was truly incomprehensible that Mai had been willing to do something like this to her. Perhaps she had finally decided to make a play for Sasuke’s affection and this was her way of removing Azula from the picture long enough to do so. But what could she do, truly? She had no bending to aid him, what was her plan? Trying to decipher such mysteries was nothing that didn’t just throw fuel on the fires of Azula’s frustration and she did her best to push such thoughts from her mind. Her only goal needed to be reaching Sasuke, no matter what that required of her.

Within the wall, locked away in the cell, she could hear almost nothing save for her own struggles, but as minutes passed, she could very distinctly feel shaking in the very foundation of the wall itself, as though there were an earthquake occurring that shifted in intensity second to second. Something massive was happening and as she swung her foot angrily trying to summon up fire for the umpteenth time, she knew it couldn’t be at the behest of anyone who had been exposed to the toxin.

_Sasuke… what’s happening? What are you having to do to protect me?_

Tears leaked from her eyes; in the dark, pride was something she didn’t have to concern herself with in the slightest, and the agony at only being able to imagine what was happening was enough to tear at her very insides.

Her toiling with the ropes had worked her arms into burning pain; akin to the restraints tied to her legs, there were surely lesions that had been opened up all along her forearms, her clothes having been torn there too, but she had done only enough to loosen them slightly. The awkward way in which she was forced to grapple with them made it difficult for her to manage any real progress, as they were still too tight around her wrists for her to pull her hands free.

But as she took a brief moment to catch her breath, taking in long gulps of air as her head spun from the lack of oxygen her inconsistent breathing was forcing on her, her mind flicked to a specific memory.

It had been the same tribe whom she had gone to procure the generations-old statue from, the same tribe who had been forced deep into the archipelago by her efforts and had tried to assassinate her those nights ago. A night before she had gone to the tribe’s leader and begun her brutal efforts to have it handed over, she had ordered her men to take two soldiers from the tribe captive, under cover of night. They had both been bound similarly to how she was restrained now, and were thrown into the hold of Azula’s ship. She had waited about an hour before going down to question them, but was met with a surprising sight. Both men had worked their hands free of their bonds and had choked the life from the soldiers coming to check on them; however, they had been forced to use their forearms and body weight to do so as their thumbs had been brutally broken on their hands, allowing for them to slide free of their bonds. After she had been forced to kill the rampaging men, Azula remembered looking at their mangled digits in mild impressment, that they would be so headstrong in their duties to hurt themselves in order to break free.

As she sat in her cell now, Azula considered what must have been a similar set of circumstances to the two men she had taken prisoner. They had considered their duties far and above their own personal wellbeing and had been more than willing to suffer for what they had to do. And as Azula thought about this, she found herself almost smiling.

_They were willing to do that to protect some stupid statue, but I haven’t done the same to be at Sasuke’s side?_

When put like that, she cursed herself violently and got to her feet, back against the wall. With the hand furthest back, she extended her thumb and pressed it against the cold rock that she was leaning against. Just a quick, hard thrust from her body and the hardest part would be over and done with, and Azula took in a measured breath as she prepared to crack her digit out of place.

Just as she drew her body back, she paused as the strangest feeling came over her. It was rather as though she were lying in a river, the current dragging her body along, but she wasn’t moving somehow. There was a great stillness as well that she noticed, mixed with the quiet that her solitude was already imposing. It suddenly felt like she was under the presence of some impossibly large creature, as it loomed down upon her with cavernous maw and burning eyes that she couldn’t see. To her, the world might have been standing still.

This only lasted a few, deeply long moments before the sound of what must have been the end erupted around her. All at once, her senses were assaulted as the ground, walls and ceiling began to quake violently as a great roaring thundered around her, deafening her ears. Azula was knocked to the ground as the sound and shaking put her in a state where she was forced to jam her eyes shut and wait desperately for this all to come to an end.

It lasted probably about thirty seconds or so, but while it was happening, it was quite as though each second droned by as an hour of torture as Azula was subjected to something she truly didn’t understand. Her mind danced with possibilities, each as wildly unlikely as the next, but at last, the shaking ceased and the blaring roar echoed away into something like distant rumbling. For a while, Azula remained where she lay, quietly waiting for the awful sound to recommence, but when it didn’t, she slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was that it was no longer pitch black. The yellow and orange of the sky now bathed her cell, the color reminding her of the heat she felt so deeply within her very body.

The leftmost part of her cell had been completely sheared away, as though some great knife had come down and sliced it away and as Azula slowly righted herself, it took a long moment to realize what she was looking at.

Ba Sing Se’s wall had been struck by some immense and exceptionally powerful force, as there was now a great piece of it missing as though a hole had been blown in it, from the very top of its border, all the way to the ground far below. Azula looked across to the other side of where the blow had been struck, seemingly a mile at least in the other direction, the innards of the wall fully exposed. It was difficult to even comprehend as Azula lifted her head and peered upwards and saw only sky above. The wall had been blown open, somehow, by some power that she didn’t even dare try to imagine. Whatever it was, it had achieved something hitherto thought impossible by the Fire Nation in the decades they had spent trying to break through into Ba Sing Se: the wall had collapsed.

Azula allowed herself a moment to revel in the destruction that had just taken place and the fact that whatever force had just blown apart the wall as if it had been nothing more than a wicker fence before a elephant, it had come extremely close to taking her with it. And as she looked at the half of her room still remaining, she saw jagged remains of the room’s foundation jutting out at various points.

As she imagined how easily these pieces might cut through rope around a prisoner’s arms, Azula smirked and moved towards them.

Despite the chaos that had just consumed her world, her objective hadn’t changed.

_Find Sasuke._

* * *

Sasuke was caught completely off guard as the shockwave rushing up behind him knocked him clean off his feet. He was in the air for a long second, before he crashed into the ground, his speed causing him to smear across the craggy earth for a long couple meters before grinding to a halt. Wincing and reflecting that this was probably the hardest hit he had taken thus far, Sasuke hauled himself to his feet and turned away from Ozai’s forces to find whatever it was that had just taken him by such total surprise.

Surprise was indeed all that remained in his body, however, as he observed what had just taken place behind him. The wall of Ba Sing Se had just had a great piece of it blown entirely away, a curve that stretched from its highest point to dip all the way down to the ground and then rise up again, as though someone had just taken a massive rock and thrown it entirely threw the wall itself. The hole stretched wide enough to have allowed Ozai’s entire fleet to sail into the city had their been water beneath Sasuke’s feet and he found he could do little more than stare for a moment as he tried to piece together what had just happened.

It didn’t take him long, for of all the feats he knew benders at the top of their class to be able to perform, none could have so suddenly and so entirely blown apart the wall that had rose so high into the air, and stood so thick against opposition. An awful feeling was burning inside Sasuke, one of disbelief and pure anger. All this time, he had been waiting for Obito to strike him from some unexpected angle, to make his presence known, to try and remove Sasuke as an obstacle, and the entire time, Sasuke had never been the target. He had been played, extending himself from the city too far, never seeing Obito coming and letting this awful calamity take place.

As he realized he was now running full sprint towards the wall, he could spare no time cursing himself or Obito. For the truth of what had just happened was now setting in and it was taking everything he had to try and keep his heart from bursting with worry as he did everything he could to not imagine his companions, twisted and shattered, lying on the ground where once had stood the great wall of Ba Sing Se.

* * *

Toph hadn’t honestly expected to wake up.

She knew she must have passed out when the wall gave away from beneath her feet and all she had been able to hear were screams on all sides of her and a roar so loud she thought her head might split open. But as she felt the layer of dust caking her body and she coughed more of it from her lungs, rolling over as she did, she knew she wasn’t dead. Everything hurt too much, everything was still so wrong. Toph had never honestly given much thought to the idea of being dead, but she knew that this couldn’t have been what happened afterwards.

“Hello?” she tried calling out, coughing again as her voice shook. Not knowing where she was happened to be well enough to make her deeply worried and the idea that she might be alone on top of it was even more distressing. Her hands began to tingle with that feeling of panic again and she spoke up again, louder.

“Hello??”

Around her, she could feel things coming to settle, pieces of rubble the size of her head to the size of Appa, all shifting as they found their place on the ground.

_Was the wall… destroyed? How could that even have happened?_

Slowly getting to her feet, she wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to break into tears at the very idea that she wasn’t just alone in the moment, but alone in the sense that she had been the only one to survive whatever had just transpired.

“Please…”

She breathed out the word and turned her head towards the ground, taking deep, calming breaths before blowing out a tight sigh.

“Relax, Toph,” she chided herself. “No use jumping to conclusions. What would Sasuke say if he were here?”

The very idea that her mind so eagerly jumped to him, or perhaps it was the mere thought of Sasuke at all, made her heart skip a beat and she wondered where he was now. Still fighting? Had he seen what had happened? Was he worried about—

_Damn it, Toph, I said stop that._

Feeling her mind getting off track, she focused on the situation before her.

_Just relax and feel. If anyone is moving nearby, I’ll feel them._

Her toes ground into the rubble at her feet as she concentrated deeply. More so than ever, she could feel the shifting and moving of debris, but through it all, there was something else, a more unnatural feeling. Toph had spent years feeling the way the rocks shifted and fell down in great slides over the mountain, just as this rubble was doing now, falling to gravity and moving in such a path that would allow for them come to rest fastest. But this what she sensed now only shared half of the property that the rocks did in the sense that it wasn’t very large and was moving away from gravity rather than just with it.

Scrambling her way across stone and what very likely have been the remains of the wall itself, Toph made her way towards the movement and as she heard a groan from just beyond, she allowed herself a moment to hope.

She slid down a couple meters of gravely rock, and reached out to touch the person stirring, her heart soaring as she heard the person grumble something and recognized the voice.

“Where… what just happened?” Mai muttered as she slowly brought herself to sit up.

“I was hoping you could tell me that,” Toph replied grimly as she put a hand on Mai’s back, feeling for anything broken or out of place in the girl’s body. “To me, it felt like the wall just exploded.”

Groaning, Mai put a hand on Toph’s shoulder and gently used it to push herself to her feet. She coughed as well, dust no doubt catching her off guard. “Well, I can tell you, that’s exactly what it looked like to everyone else. So, though I guess I’m not complaining, how exactly aren’t we dead?”

Through Toph’s feet, she felt more movement, sharper and more intense. “Come on, this way!”

She took Mai’s hand and pulled her along as they stumbled their way through what must have been a cloud of dull brown color; Toph could feel the dust on her face and knew that the air was far from clear, and likely wouldn’t be for quite a while, considering the gravity of what had just taken place.

Around the a pile of rubble, Toph heard Sokka before she could even ask who was there.

“Help me!!” His voice was panicked and frantic, and as Toph and Mai rushed over, the former could feel another person stirring distantly beneath a good amount of broken earth.

“Sokka, stop pulling so hard, you’re going to hurt her!” Mai’s voice snapped and Toph felt the girl pulling Sokka away from the third body.

“No more than he already has…” came the slurred voice of Suki; Toph reached out with her bending and flung aside the boulders pinning her down as if they were pebbles. Sokka immediately returned to her side, slowly helping her up, freezing in place as Suki let out a sharp curse.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, are you okay?!” Sokka’s voice sounded still frantic, and it was clear he was still in a state of panic, no doubt a result of both fear for Suki and trauma from the cataclysmic event that had just occurred. As Suki’s breathing came in ragged gasps, Toph felt Mai’s form pull Sokka aside again, her voice was its usual low tone, but Toph could hear the calming force that she was clearly attempting to get across.

“Listen to me; she might be hurt, but the most important thing you can do for her right now is calm down. Do you think you can do that?”

Toph didn’t hear Sokka reply, but based on the quick movement she felt through his form, he must have been nodding.

“I need to hear you say it,” Mai said and Sokka responded, his voice still high, but slower and more controlled.

“I’m calm.”

“Massage the muscles on your hand between your thumb and your pointer finger,” Mai instructed. “It will help relax your body.”

There came a pause followed by a low and long sigh from Sokka. Suki grunted in approval.

“Nice,” she remarked, still in a somewhat dull and pained tone. “Wouldn’t think a noble girl like you would know some tricks like that.”

“Fire Nation Women’s Academy,” Mai said by way of explanation. “I went with Azula and Ty Lee when we were younger; they teach you a lot more than table manners, hairstyles and proper dress. They know some of us go to war and they helped get us ready for that.”

“Nice,” Suki said. “But we always learned that you massage the far side of the palm, the muscle down beneath the pinky.”

Mai let out a short, sharp exhale that might have been something close to a laugh before asking in a more serious tone,” In all actuality, are you hurt?”

Suki winced and replied, “Broken rib, I’m thinking. Maybe two. At least a fracture on the second.”

She grimaced again, before adding, “What the hell happened?”

Mai snorted, “Your guess is as good as ours.”

There was only a brief pause before another voice added itself to the mix.

“Hey guys, I think the wall exploded or something.”

Ty Lee’s almost hilariously obvious observation added levity a moment of levity that mixed with the relief of her approaching around some more wreckage, walking with another person and using them as support as far as Toph could tell.

“Is everyone okay??” came Katara’s voice, and Toph found she was actually quite glad to hear that controlling and uptight voice even as she ran forward and threw her arms around the two girls. Katara put her free hand around Toph’s head and kissed the top of it, and Toph could feel tears fall into her hair as Katara whispered to her.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Whatever her grievances with Katara had been before, Toph knew in that moment that they weren’t even close to enough to not feeling ecstatic in seeing her safe now. She hadn’t not felt the wince from Ty Lee however and pulled back as the acrobat gave her cheek a pinch.

“Good to see you too, Toph,” Ty Lee said warmly, but Toph could hear the underbite of pain in her voice and she pulled away, reaching out and taking her wrist aggressively.

“What’s wrong?”

Her mind flew with the possibilities of what could be the matter, things she couldn’t see or feel that could be the matter, grave injuries that she wasn’t aware of; she imagined this must have been how Sokka felt for Suki, terrified that he didn’t know the extent of her injuries.

Ty Lee must have sensed her worry and gave a laugh, perhaps one a little forced, before replying, “Nothing serious, just a broken hip I think. Maybe a sprained ankle.”

As she spoke, Mai came up behind them and must have then embraced Ty Lee as when she spoke again, her voice was muffled, likely buried as her face was in Mai’s shoulder.

“Maybe in danger of being hugged to death as well,” she mumbled and Mai pulled away, muttering sheepishly.

“I’m sorry.”

There was a pause as the sound came perhaps of ruffling hair as Ty Lee then said in a much quieter tone, “Happy to see you too, Mai.”

The group congregated over where Suki was leaning against the rubble in Sokka’s care before Katara’s voice once again spoke up, this time echoing with a bit of the same panic Toph had heard amongst the group just previously.

“Aang?”

As if on cue, two sets of feet touched down on the ground just behind them and Zuko’s voice sounded, offering a rare joke.

“Someone order an Avatar?”

Over the next minute, hugs and relief were exchanged as Aang and Zuko rejoined their company, having flown over as per Aang’s abilities. Toph was surprised to find herself hug not only Aang but Zuko as well and felt even more surprised when he returned it strongly.

“You’re a good hugger,” Toph smiled as she pulled away from him and was happy to hear him chuckle. Aang had made his way through Toph and Katara, and sounded like he was currently in the midst of being bear hugged by Sokka.

“I’m glad to see everyone’s okay,” he finally was able to say. “It was only seconds before… well, whatever happened that I felt my bending start to come back to me. When it all came down, I tried to grab you all and put you all under a cushion of air and try and get you free of the wall coming down.”

“That would explain how we ended up not exactly beneath the wreck,” Sokka said.

Toph heard Aang scratch the back of his head before he added, “I was only able to slow everyone’s falls so much, so I’m sorry for the hard landings.”

“Well, Aang, considering I’m alive,” Suki said with a grunt of pain, “I’m going to go ahead and not be too bummed out about whatever’s hurting right now and just be grateful, I think.”

“I agree,” said Ty Lee and Toph could practically hear Aang smiling at that.

The relief and happiness that was being shared by everyone was finally brought to a halt then as Zuko asked quietly, “I don’t suppose you saw my uncle? Or my sister?”

Aang’s voice was thick with pain as he replied. “No, I’m sorry, Zuko. I looked for him in all of those… “

He choked off and even though Toph knew he had been more than happy to save his friends, the realization that a great many people had just been killed and he had been unable to save them was eating him alive.

“… in everyone I saw, but I didn’t see him.”

His voice trembled and Toph took a step to him and hugged him again, much more gently than she usually did. Aang was shivering and was very clearly trying hard not to; Toph found she could understand this feeling, it was something that had been eating at her since they had arrived in Ba Sing Se, but was only being further and further punctuated as time went on.

_This is war._

“You couldn’t have saved them all,” she whispered in his ear and she felt him jerk in what might have been a withheld sob.

“If I had known… I could have done… I don’t know, _something_ …” he moaned. Toph squeezed him tighter.

“You’re not all-powerful, Aang, even if you’d like to be. You saved us and you’re going to save more people before the day is up, I have no doubt.”

He made no reply, but hugged her back tightly; Toph vaguely remembered on more than one occasion how Sasuke had openly denounced how much weight seemed to be constantly laden on Aang’s shoulders and how it was selfish and immoral to expect so much from someone so young and relatively innocent.

 _He was probably right_ , she thought.

Mai spoke up then, and as she did, the situation doubled down in its tension as Toph could practically feel the resentment she and Zuko were looking at one another with.

“I don’t know what might have happened to Azula. The cell we put her in was a good ways down the wall, so I don’t know if—”

“Don’t give me that crap, Mai,” Zuko suddenly snapped and Toph bit her lip anxiously. Though the others might not have picked up on it, she had seen plenty of signs of this brewing in recent days. Through her extremely heightened sense of touch, she had noted Mai and Zuko spending very little time near one another except in dire circumstances, and even then, after what Katara had vindictively hurled at Mai in front of everyone about the time she had spent with Sasuke in the hot spring, any sort of care they might have had before for one another had gone by the wayside; Toph couldn’t remember a time since that she had felt them move willingly towards one another, let alone exchange words.

“What are you talking about?” Mai asked cooly and Zuko replied immediately, clearly having been ready for this.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. How could my sister possibly have survived that wall coming down?! Don’t stand there and pretend like ‘oh, maybe there was a miracle’ when you’re just as sure that she’s dead in the rubble somewhere!”

Toph slowly pulled away from Aang and did her best to act invisible, something that she was sure everyone else was looking to do right about then as whatever had been boiling between Zuko and Mai started to overflow.

“Gosh, Zuko,” Mai said in a tone that was dripping with sarcasm. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were suggesting that I’m hoping she really is gone.”

“Mai!” Ty Lee hissed by way of trying to somewhat defuse the situation, but neither Mai nor Zuko seemed to notice her.

“Yeah, maybe I am,” Zuko growled. “I don’t suppose it doesn’t make sense though. Considering what’s been going on as of late.”

Mai’s sarcasm leapt a degree higher as she replied, “Oh, I’m so glad you’re all-knowing to a point of faultlessness, Zuko, please let us all in on your sleuthing; I’m sure everyone here will be just blown away by whatever it is you think you’ve pieced together.”

Toph found herself wishing she were just about anywhere else right about then as she felt Zuko tense up.

“Alright, Mai. I’ll let you in on what I know, since apparently you think I was too stupid to piece this all together myself. Ever since he showed up, you think I haven’t noticed you quietly paying him more mind than anyone else here?”

Letting out a painfully fake laugh, Mai replied, “Wow, you’re really going to do this right now?”

Zuko’s voice jumped in volume by a degree enough to make Toph jump.

“Yeah, I’m going to do this right now, because my sister could be dead because of it!!”

That seemed to pull Mai out of her mocking condescension of Zuko as her voice became dangerously quiet and icy.

“What exactly do you mean by that?” she said, in a tone just above a whisper.

Toph could feel Zuko breathing heavily in and out as he likely stared daggers at her.

“I didn’t want to see it. But I watched it happen day by day. Then, you apparently spent some time with him alone, and maybe it was harmless, maybe neither of you tried anything.”

“Are you seriously suggesting that I—” Mai started to angrily interject but Zuko continued over her.

“But you saw Azula too. Everyone here did, everyone saw how much she fell for him. I was scared; I didn’t want to imagine what being in love with him might do to her, or what might happen if he felt the same. But I didn’t stick my head in it.”

He swallowed and Toph could tell he was trying to keep his voice shaking with anger and hurt. “But I saw you too, Mai. Because no one watched you more than me. I guess you found him attractive or interesting or whatever, but I just wanted to let it pass, hopefully it would just pass.”

Toph felt him twitch.

“And then this. Now, Azula might be out of the picture permanently. And you don’t even seem to care. And I guess I can imagine why.”

Now it was Mai that Toph could feel quivering, something that was even further enunciated as she spoke, her voice low and shaking.

“I… how dare you, Zuko… I can’t believe you would even…”

She cut herself off then and Toph tried not to imagine the pair of them, standing there and shaking, glaring with such deep anger at one another. She had supposed that perhaps their relationship might have suffered some deterioration as a result of their circumstances, but the depths to which she now knew Zuko garnered suspicion were quite serious. If she put herself in Zuko’s shoes, she supposed she could see why he was feeling this level of resentment, but with nothing proven, this kind of speculation was only doing damage, nothing more. And there was no taking back what he had just implied.

Toph could feel the strain of the situation all around her through the rest of her companions, but finally, thankfully, Suki spoke, her calm and stern tone cutting through the moment with a relief that Toph took to allow herself to breathe.

“It’s clear that there’s some issues that need to be worked out with the both of you, but we have to remember the reality of what’s happening and understand how little we actually know right now.”

Katara picked up in that same line of thought, her words sounding just as eager at the chance to shut this down before it grew any more irreparable than it already had been.

“Suki’s right: we’re in the middle of a war still, and Azula could still be alive for all we know. We don’t need to be jumping to conclusions like that.”

Toph was both curious as to the expressions on Mai and Zuko’s faces, but was also rather pleased that she couldn’t; it was no doubt the daggers they were staring at each other were nothing pleasant to look at.

“Let’s head towards the wall,” Sokka finally suggested. “I don’t know the state of things, but maybe we can find some survivors, maybe Iroh and Azula.”

Still nothing from either Mai or Zuko, but as the group quietly gathered up and began to walk in the direction of the settling rubble of thousands of pounds of rubble, they fell in accordingly, though a good distance from one another as they did. Toph found herself walking beside Katara as they moved and she couldn’t help but quietly murmur to the waterbender.

“Katara… what I said back at the teashop… I didn’t mean—”

“Not a word about it, Toph,” Katara said firmly. “I know why you said what you did and you don’t need to explain yourself to me.”

“I know,” Toph said desperately, feeling a strange sense of melancholy that didn’t so much have to do with the devastation that surrounded them. “But if… something had happened just now, and the last thing I said to you was that awful stuff…”

Situated at the back of the group as they were, Katara was quickly able to stop moving, take Toph by the shoulders and drop to her knees, taking the earthbender into a tight hug. Toph felt tears practically being squeezed from her eyes as Katara whispered gently in her ear.

“Toph, no matter what Sasuke is, no matter how complicated or mysterious or… dare I say interesting he might be, and no matter how that makes me act, and say and do stupid things, I’ll never stop feeling how I do for you. You’re the sister I never had, the friend that I’ve needed and the rock in our group, well more than once. So please don’t think I’d ever think less of you just because of some stupid boy.”

Toph gave a wet chuckle. “He is kind of stupid, isn’t he?”

Katara shook with a gentle laugh of her own. “So totally stupid.”

After a moment more, they broke apart and trotted quickly to bring up the tail end of the group. But before they got close enough to fall within earshot, Toph couldn’t help but quietly ask,

“You like him, don’t you?”

For a long while, Katara didn’t say anything and when she finally did answer, it was hardly something that Toph, who had been ready to hear a full denial, had expected to hear.

“I don’t know, Toph. I really don’t.”

* * *

The world almost seemed to blur before Sasuke’s eyes as he raced towards Ba Sing Se, not so much as bothering to look behind him for the remaining number of Ozai’s forces and airships that were no doubt still heading his way. Because the reason he was fighting, the reason he had charged them all in the first place, was very much in jeopardy, and he couldn’t stand the thought of not knowing what had become of his allies.

The entire time he ran, that nagging part of him kept prodding, telling him that they really weren’t that important to him and he would probably be better off if they had all just perished when the wall had come down, but as he imagined this and saw the lifeless forms of his parents, the lifeless form of his brother, he could only grit his teeth and run all the faster.

_Itachi… where are you?_

He reached the earthen barricades that had been raised by the defenders on the ground outside the wall and saw that they had actually been relatively untouched as a result of the attack; whatever the force had been that had taken the wall apart, it had done so in a particular direction, inwards towards the city. Initially, his thought was to start interrogating the shell-shocked soldiers that were milling about, looking completely unsure of how to act, or what to do, but knew they would be hardly of any help to him.

As Sasuke reached the base of where the wall had once started, rising up towards the heavens, he realized the extent of what really had just happened. The sheer size of the wall meant that even though it had been blasted inward all the way to its base, pieces of it had fallen and congregated in tall piles before him. A few quick chakra-aided leaps and he had made it over the side and slid down the wreckage to truly see the waste before him.

Even for him, though, as he looked out over what had become of just inside the wall, it was a sight to freeze him for a brief moment.

Pieces of the wall had been blown deep into the city itself, the force clearly having been enough to break more than just the wall, sweeping back everything in a curved arc from where it had initially been destroyed. Buildings within had been crushed or swept away, rubble made up everything for at least a mile into the city with pieces of the wall stretching at least that far in.

Sasuke could see the green and blue shades amongst the dirt and debris, most of them motionless and knew them to be bodies. Seeing them made his heart wrench if only due to the fact that it forced him to imagine the bodies of—

“Stop it,” he said aloud, and hearing his own voice, clear and calm, allowed some level of clarity to settle on his mind and he started to walk through the carnage, surprised at how strangely quiet it was.

He forced himself not to look at the bodies, instead focusing on the smaller portion of the people that he saw, the ones that were still alive and moving. He strode past soldiers helping one another to their feet, tending one another’s wounds and it was not lost on him the tone of utter shock and defeat that was present around him.

It was minutes before he saw someone he actually recognized and he sprinted up to the familiar face.

“Iroh!!”

Sasuke found it rather odd that seeing someone he had known so briefly cold bring such a sense of relief to his body as he came to a halt before the old man, a injured General Gokan sitting beside him.

“Sasuke!” Iroh replied in a warm, relieved tone of his own. “I’m glad to see you’re safe.”

“How’d you survive?” Sasuke practically demanded by way of greeting. Iroh rubbed his thumbs along the rest of his fingers and Sasuke saw a flicker of spark flash there.

“Our bending was returning to us just as the wall collapsed. I was able to catch both myself and General Gokan by utilizing a firebending trick to create a powerful draft beneath us to glide us down, though I’m afraid I wasn’t able to ensure enough of a soft landing for the general.”

He gestured at what appeared to be Gokan’s broken leg, but the general waved it off.

“Not every day you get saved by the Dragon of the West… particularly after I all but publicly ousted him to boot.”

It didn’t take long for Sasuke to note that both men were looking at him through very wary eyes, both seeming rather like they were waiting to watch lobsters crawl out of his ears.

“Did either of you see what happened?” Sasuke finally asked, by way of breaking the now uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the three of them. Iroh shook his head, but Gokan adopted a sour and darkened expression.

“Yeah, I saw him.”

“Him?” Iroh asked, as he turned to the general. Gokan growled, massaging the back of his neck.

“The guy that the Fire Nation grabbed when we found the both of you on the outskirts of the city,” he explained and Iroh’s face paled.

“What do you mean?” he asked in a hushed tone and Gokan snorted.

“He was there, hovering or floating even just in front of the wall. I caught sight of him just before it happened; he was hard to make out what with how small he was being that far away. I’d say he was most of the way up the wall though, just a ways back, he had his arms outstretched it looked like. Then, the whole wall just seemed to blow apart at our feet.”

“Obito,” Sasuke said, and as he did, he realized Iroh had said the same thing. He and the older man stared at one another before Sasuke immediately snapped angrily.

“How do you know that name?!”

Iroh was looking a combination of hurt and shocked as he slowly allowed himself to lean back and rest against a piece of rubble, looking quite immediately tired on top of everything else.

“Obito and I traveled together across the desert to reach Ba Sing Se. When we reached the city, we were confronted by Earth Nation patrols and then were attacked by a Fire Nation reconnaissance unit and I assumed him to be captured or killed.”

He looked ag Gokan intently.

“You’re certain that was the same person as who you found traveling with me?”

The general nodded and Iroh blew out a long sigh before Sasuke was on top of him again, furiously demanding.

“This guy you mentioned back at the teashop… that was Obito? And you didn’t even think to mention his name?”

Iroh gestured helplessly with his hands. “When I was with him, he was certainly… peculiar. Special, even, like you. But it was nothing to suggest he had that… that kind of destructive abilities at his fingertips.”

Sasuke opened his mouth to further bluster along in his indignation that Iroh’s knowledge of Obito hadn’t been passed along, but Iroh cut him off before he could, raising his hands and continuing.

“And he was much as you seem to be now! He was without much of his memory, and he only seemed to be of the mind that answers lay for him within the city. I didn’t know what that meant, but he seemed very confused and lost and frustrated. I only wanted to help him. And I certainly would never have imagined that he could do what he has done today.”

Slowly pushing himself into a more righted position, Gokan gave a darkly humorous chuckle. “If I hadn’t seen what I have today, I would never have put two and two together and assumed it was him that was behind this. But after knowing that he’s clearly not some traditional bender, and seeing what you just did to Ozai’s army, I don’t think it’s too hard to figure that bastard was the reason we just lost a wall that’s been up longer than any of us have been alive.”

He fixed Sasuke with a beady and tired look. “You both aren’t exactly of this world, are you?”

Sasuke let his silence answer the question, before turning back to Iroh. There was no point in wasting time interrogating Iroh for whatever he had or hadn’t done as there were more urgent matters at hand. He had all the confirmation he needed to know that Obito had been behind the attack and he still hadn’t come close to solving the most pressing question on his mind.

“Have you seen Aang or your nephew or any of his group?”

In turn, Iroh’s silence answered his question and he turned back towards the rubble and left them both without another word, letting them become swallowed up by the cloud of dust behind him.

More bodies went by and Sasuke finally admitted to himself that if he didn’t at least accept the possibility that… things were worse than he wanted them to be, he might never find them. Turning to his Sharingan and jutsu, the world around him became highlighted in sharp colorations, the rubble being a tight shade of grey and the bodies, both moving and unmoving shone with a bright red, and it was only then that Sasuke realized just how many bodies were scattered about, some dozens of feet beneath the wreckage.

He forced himself to look at each one with lightning quick speed, turning away when they didn’t match the bodies of his companions, and trying to keep his heart from pounding when they came close. Minutes passed with all the mercy that time didn’t allow for, every moment that passed one where Toph could be trapped under mounds of rubble in utter darkness, too hurt to bend herself free, too crushed to even breathe. Sasuke shoved these thoughts aside, but every time he did, they changed and he saw Azula’s broken body, or Katara’s, or Mai’s, or Aang’s, or Suki’s, or any of them, and then the cycle repeated. He didn’t want any of them to be dead, and with each passing moment, the truth of that wish became more and more of a burning pain on his insides.

_Please… let them be okay._

Whom he was requesting this of he didn’t know, but he hadn’t been there to watch over things so whoever had been, they had best have come through for him.

_I shouldn’t have left. I should have stayed close to everyone, I could have protected them, easily. I could have seen Obito coming and I could have blown the bastard out of the air. But now…_

Now, Sasuke only was able to focus on what was immediately before him. He felt what he supposed was physical discomfort in his stomach as a result of the worry that he now had no choice but to accept as a present part of his being. He bounded over collapsed buildings, immense piles of the what remained of the wall, dashed past bodies and tried not to notice the disturbingly skewed ratio of ones that were alive to the ones that weren’t. But he kept forcing himself to look away from them, even as they grew more and more difficult to pass his eyes over, knowing that there were only so many he could look at before he was bound to see—

Then, as he shot deeper into the city towards the furthermost level of destruction, he saw a small blotch of color in the distance. Several shapes, moving shapes. Sasuke focused and he saw them from a more magnified view, eight people all of a relatively smaller stature than the average body he had been seeing.

There was a crack as he propelled himself in their direction, not able to bear looking closer to see if his presumption was correct, the sound barrier shattering at his behest.

_Please._

A silent plea as he tore to them fast enough to cross the destruction between them in seconds, weaving and zigzagging around and over rubble until he slid around a particularly massive piece of the wall that had been tossed inward and stopped.

A couple dozen yards away, he saw them. They looked to be in various states of exhaustion and perhaps some trauma, no doubt a result of what had just taken place. There was Ty Lee leaning on Mai, Zuko walking beside Aang and Sokka supporting along Suki with Katara just beside them.

_They’re alive._

He started to walk towards them, trying to control the flow of alleviation that was flowing over his muscles. Mai saw him first and came to a jerky halt, her eyes widening and body tensing up. The rest of the followed suit, expressions of shock and relief coming over them; Suki and Sokka gave him tired smiles, Ty Lee with a look of pure relief on her face as Mai stared at him with something like pained comfort. Aang had a smile blooming over his face as Zuko stared at him with a look not quite so cheery. Katara’s face was mostly emotionless save for her widened eyes and slightly ajar mouth as though she were trying to decide what emotion she wanted to feel presently.

As he drew within earshot of them, he heard a voice call out hesitantly.

“Sasuke?”

Pushing between Mai and Zuko came Toph, a fist clenched to her chest and her face rich with something that looked like restrained hope. Sasuke stopped a dozen feet from them and they did the same; when he made no reply, Toph took a step ahead of the group, her expression turning angry, her jaw trembling for just a moment.

“I know what you feel like, asshole, don’t you dare just stand there and not—”

There was barely time to blink between Sasuke standing a distance away and standing just in front of Toph. She must have sensed his sudden nearness and inhaled sharply as Sasuke looked down at her, feeling tremors of emotion rolling in his gut that he rather hated being so overpowering.

And before she could say another word, he reached out and pressed the ends of his middle and pointer finger against her forehead.

It hadn’t been the first time he had done so, but while he had done so the first time in an effort to calm her down and the second time in an effort to make her feel at ease. Now, it was entirely affection and relief he felt as he her warmth touched his fingertips. Sasuke closed his eyes briefly, as he breathed in the reality of the moment.

_She’s alive._

He looked down at the rosy flush on Toph’s cheeks as she turned her head up towards his in a moment of stunned silence. Then, her mouth became a tight line and she stomped the ground; curving pillars of earth jabbed out of the earth and struck the back of Sasuke’s knees, buckling them and dropping him down. He was so surprised that he didn’t even have time to react before he was on his knees and Toph had practically tackled him in a ferociously tight bear hug, her small arms wrapping around him like a vice grip.

In any other moment, as he knelt there feeling Toph’s arms around him, her body pressed against his and her face buried in his shoulder, Sasuke would have maybe allowed her to remain there a moment before gently extricating himself from her grip and pulling away to stand. But right about then, all he wanted to do was hug her back and he did so, slowly moving his arms around her to clutch her tightly as he turned his head to nestle his face in her hair.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he managed to mumble against her and she squeezed him tighter.

“You’re really impossible to figure out,” she replied through what sounded like gritted teeth.

Sasuke was vaguely aware that everyone was watching with no doubt some varying levels of surprise at this show of affection, but he didn’t pay that any mind. They were here, and so was he; the one thing he had been able to use as a moral and mental anchor in this strange world, and they were okay. Had he not found them, not been inducted into their group, baring some hiccups, who knew what would have become of him. It was more than enough for him just to grant himself a moment to be relieved at their mere presence.

* * *

From where he had perched himself following the attack, Obito looked down at Sasuke, embracing the young girl. Watching him interact with them was just as curious a thing now as it had been when he had been disguised as one of their member; be it romance, or camaraderie, or fellowship, or friendship, or who knew what else kept Sasuke as tightly connected to their little circle, his deepening ties with them all were nothing short of astounding.

_Perhaps I shouldn’t be so surprised. Not like he grew up with much of a family himself. Maube getting to spend time with a bunch of people around his age who have no basis on which to judge him was something his psyche found refreshing. More so than those he grew up around in the Hidden Leaf._

But still, Sasuke was the last thing that remained for Obito to deal with before he could move forward with his own plans. With the wall destroyed, Ozai could freely roll his troops into the city and pummel down any opposition easily, his airships being free to move into Ba Sing Se without the supposed altitude problems imposed by the wall and the ability to freely move troops in on the ground as well. That was assuming that there wasn’t Sasuke remaining in their way, nor his meddling brother.

Itachi remained a point that burrowed its way in the back of Obito’s mind as he pondered just where Sasuke’s older brother might be. He hadn’t seen him since the attack on Ozai’s flagship, and he had half-expected during the entire first half of this invasion that he would come out of nowhere and present a possible nail in the coffin for Obito’s plan. But he had never showed and the wall had fallen. And he hadn’t shown yet, with his brother at his most vulnerable.

Obito supposed that Sasuke had done more than a fair job of handling himself, regardless. He had not only managed a summon, something Obito would have thought impossible, but he had been able to pull a repeat of his fight with Itachi and create a thunderstorm with which to draw Kirin from. All of this on top of already utilizing Susanoo effectively and efficiently, and Obito had to admit he was worried about having to face Sasuke down. He didn’t know exactly how worn out Sasuke was at this point, but chances were, it was not as bad as him.

The Shinra Tensei had more than drained Obito’s strength and even the thought of just standing up gave him a tired feeling. It hadn’t been to the scale of Nagato’s assault on Konoha, but it had been a significant charge nonetheless and while Obito’s single Rinnegan had managed the success of blowing apart the wall, his own energy was sapped a good deal and he wasn’t sure how he might fare against Sasuke as such.

He looked back towards the horizon to see Ozai’s ships looming ever closer. It brought a smirk to his lips to imagine what exactly was going through the Fire Lord’s head right about then as he first had witnessed his army being partially decimated by a dragon made out of solid lightning and then had seen the wall of Ba Sing Se crumble apart. What could anyone of this world think after experiencing that sight, he thought?

_But Sasuke… how to go about this?_

Every moment he spent was time he and Sasuke were both recharging, but time wasn’t on his side. Sasuke had to be out of the picture by the time the fleet arrived or the burning purple fumes of his Susanoo would be more than enough to put victory outside of Ozai’s grasp. But Obito was still sure he couldn’t risk straight combat with Sasuke, not as he was. He needed an advantage, something he could use to give him an upper hand over Sasuke; if he could get close enough to make it happen, pulling Sasuke into Kamui could be just the ticket to securing victory. And it could give them a chance to even with one another; once everything done here was accomplished and Sasuke had nothing more to try and protect in this world, Obito could reason with him and show that he had done everything to try and get them back to their world. If he could catch Sasuke in his Kamui, then he could ensure more than a single victory for himself.

For he didn’t want to kill Sasuke, he found. He would if he had to, but this might very well be a way to keep that difficulty from becoming reality.

But getting to Sasuke to use it, that could be difficult. Sasuke would no doubt sense him coming, regardless of how he tried to move in. And he had a great many abilities at his disposal that could completely ruin Obito’s ability to hold his own; Susanoo, Amaterasu, another Kirin perhaps. So how might he get to Sasuke without great risk to himself?

He supposed then as he looked down at Sasuke and his companions, that the answer was staring him right in the face.

_But which one?_

What he was starting to formulate a plan around was nothing short of risky in and of itself. Using one of them to control Sasuke could work, but not only would it be a risk to even just get close enough to them to force the situation, he wasn’t sure which was best.

He didn’t see the princess among their number, she might have been one of the many unlucky individuals caught up in the attack. He did see Toph whom was still embracing Sasuke and he imagined she would be a good choice, Sasuke clearly held great affection for her. But could romantic interest be more manipulatable? He knew that Katara and Mai both seemed to have some sort of that tension for him, and he towards them. But which to choose? Which could he use to the greatest effect in forcing Sasuke’s hand?

A thought occurred to him then, one that he supposed was probably his best bet. If he was going to get one shot to make this happen, he needed to be certain. He gathered his chakra and focused, hand seals snapping off accordingly. The jutsu in question was rather touchy and precise, but he didn’t need much, just the last day or so should do just fine. He locked eyes with the back of Sasuke’s head from the hundreds of feet away he watched them hidden among the rubble and willed Sasuke’s mind to be something he could peer into.

Unnoticed, he dipped his fingers into Sasuke’s memories and emotions that had been within the past day. They swirled and washed over his mind within the time it took for him to access them, and within a second, he had seen all he had wanted. All he had needed.

Straightening, he slipped away from the rubble and shot into the city with the speed his chakra and enhanced ability allowed, moving through streets that he had seen only through the eyes of another.

He had seen just who he needed and felt all he needed.

With this, Sasuke would bend to him, and he could seize the day.

* * *

Sasuke felt the smallest prick and as it happened, he supposed he knew what it meant. When nothing happened immediately, he wanted nothing more than to run off and prevent what was about to happen from happening, but he knew that for this to work, he had to keep still for the time being, no matter how much it pained him to do nothing.

“So… you all made it?” he asked and Sokka replied, looking at Aang.

“Thanks to our personal Avatar.”

Sasuke nodded, the miracle not lost on him that Aang’s bending hadn’t returned a moment later than it had.

“So… you can turn into a giant snake?”

Pulling slowly away from Toph and straightening, Sasuke looked to Aang who was looking at him very curiously.

“Not quite,” he replied. “I can summon one though.”

Aang blinked. “Like, right now, you could just…”

Sasuke nodded. “Yeah.”

“And that lightning dragon? Was that the same you used at the capital?” Ty Lee followed up as she tried to shift her balance on what appeared to be an injured leg.

“Yeah,” he repeated.

As he looked around at them all, he saw it again. It was that fear, that same lack of understanding of how to react to a person like him. Sasuke knew that on that day, he had gone above and beyond what anyone, even they knew him to capable of, and though he understood why they were looking at him like that, he still didn’t like to see it. He had gotten rather used to them looking at him more like how they looked at each other, a member of their group, even if he was one that they still maybe didn’t entirely trust. He much preferred that to this fear and suspicion, but on that day, he knew he would have to accept it.

It struck him as he looked around at them all then, from Mai’s slightly narrowed eyes, to Katara’s tight lips and intense eyes, that there was one missing from their number. He found it almost annoying that he felt fear of his own just then.

“Where’s Azula?”

The touchiness of the subject was made apparent immediately as he watched Zuko fight down what looked to be an angry expression and a muscle in Mai’s mouth began to work itself aggressively. The rest of the group adopted uncomfortable expressions and it was Suki who finally spoke up, her calm demeanor adding some stability to what might have become a more hostile situation, if Sasuke was reading the room correctly.

“When you went down to fight, Azula started acting… kind of crazy,” she started.

“More than usual?” Sasuke asked dryly and she gave a slightly humored grin, but her eyes were still worried and tense.

“Yeah, even more than usual. Was going off about how she didn’t know how you could go down there by yourself, and how she needed to be there to protect you and this and that.”

 _I was worried about that,_ Sasuke thought bitterly.

Suki seemed to be trying to figure the best way to explain what had happened next and she finally just shrugged her shoulders, giving Zuko a sad look as she continued.

“Mai and myself decided the best course of action was to restrain her so she didn’t do anything… rash. Like jump down after you when her bending returned. We tied her up and brought her down to a cell a ways down inside the wall.”

She paused before adding, “We don’t know what happened to her.”

Sasuke considered this, trying to imagine what might have become of the princess.

_If she was inside the wall… and that part of the wall was caught in the blast… there’s no way she could have survived._

He found himself wondering for the first time how he might react if Azula were dead. The feeling that ought to be spreading inside of him should have been relief, shouldn’t it? So why was he so upset at the prospect of her being gone?

“It was my idea,” Mai said, speaking up quite suddenly and stepping forward. “I asked Suki to help me, but whatever might have happened to Azula is on me.”

She stood straight before him, her expression firm and as Sasuke watched Zuko give her a look of something close to pure loathing, he realized that she was expecting Sasuke to react the same way. She was ready to be berated, maybe even struck for what she had done based on how her face tensed as he looked to her. And while Sasuke guessed there would probably be a part of him that would be very angry should something have happened, she had made an overall smart choice and perhaps done so at his request.

“You’ve nothing to be ashamed about, you made the right choice under the circumstances. She could have done something rash, and there was no way you could have seen that attack coming.”

Even as he felt Zuko glaring at him, he saw Mai’s face soften with gentle surprise and what looked like no small amount of relief. He wanted to give her a small smile, but he instead turned back towards the blown open wall, looking at the now gaping space between, wondering if Azula had been within the destruction.

“What do you think we should do, Sasuke?”

At Katara’s question though, he didn’t reply. He knew what was about to happen, and it would do him better to just let it happen. In the back of his head, he had been counting it down the entire time, and he took careful, measured breaths.

It wouldn’t be long now.


	26. Chapter 26

** Chapter 26: Battle of Ba Sing Se – Part 1 **

Ozai stood with his hands clasped behind his back as he looked out towards Ba Sing Se and tried to drone out the practical shouting of his generals and admirals behind him. All of them had a different opinion in how they wanted to proceed, in what they thought of the situation and what they thought of what had just transpired. All pretense of their respect and reverence towards his presence seemed to have gone completely out the window following the events of the last several, impossibly long minutes and while Ozai supposed he couldn’t blame them, for the moment, he had no desire to speak to their concerns.

For he was very much in awe himself, of a much more reserved kind. He remembered leaving orders with his men in his personal chambers just before hearing an almighty boom that shook the very walls of the palace and having to restrain himself from running out to find just what had caused such a noise. He remembered walking the grounds behind his palace in the morning after his daughter had left his life, seeing the destruction that had been left in wake of Sasuke as he had escaped; the Fire Lord had seen the bodies of his men, seen the blackened remains of the structure itself and wondered just how far this power truly ran.

But he had been given what his curiosity had pondered and so much more. His utter shock at Sasuke’s display before his ground forces had been only outmatched by his fury that his army was being laid waste to, something he had made very clear to Obito. The way the boy had utterly halted the advance of Ako’s entire command, then the massive snake and the thunderstrike of godlike proportions. And then, as if in exchange for the thousands he had surely lost, the wall had come down. No real fanfare, no real warning, the wall had just caved in as though blown down by some invisible force, which Ozai supposed was exactly what had happened.

And now, assumingly, there was only one move left to make.

“Your highness, we must fall back and regroup!!”

It was this affirmation practically shouted at his back that caused Ozai to finally turn and regard his commanders. It had been General Ixa who had spoken, her face intense and eyes glowing aggressively. She had been such a rising star in his forces, achieving the rank of general as fast as anyone ever had, and with exceptional firebending to match her exceptional command. To see her now so flustered was hardly a good look for her, and Ozai made no attempt to disguise the mild disgust he viewed her with, a look he passed around to the dozen or so surrounding individuals.

When he spoke, while it was in response to her assertion, it was directed towards all of them.

“You all truly wish to back down now, when the final blow has been all but struck?” he inquired softly, and he watched his high ranking men and women look amongst one another for direction, like children in a classroom lost on the solution to the equation before them.

“We’ve lost an estimated sixty to seventy percent of our ground forces, General Ako among them,” his chief strategist finally stated hesitantly. “To push forward now, with such reduced numbers on the ground would put the majority of the effort on our air forces, and we’re not sure that substantial threat to our number can be avoided.”

Ozai regarded them all before pointing behind him towards the crumbled mass that stretched for such a ways along the border of Ba Sing Se.

“My asset just struck down the most insurmountable obstacle known to us in our efforts against the Earth Nation. His power is enough to at least match that of Sasuke, and even if he is to be defeated, our best chance to secure victory is full ahead, now, before the Earth Nation gets a chance to regroup.”

General Ixa shifted her weight back and forth, looking anything but convinced that unyielding offense was their best course of action forward.

“Your highness, with all due respect, we ought to consider—”

This was enough for Ozai and he took a powerful step forward, snapping as he did so, and relishing the fear that passed among the faces of his subordinates.

“Nothing! We ought to consider nothing! We have the first and clearest shot to victory that has ever been granted to us! We’ve lost a great many, but we still have the advantage of Sozin’s Comet on our side and should we retreat now, time is allowed the enemy to regroup themselves, refortify and come up with new countermeasures, and we potentially lose the advantage that has so enhanced our firebending!”

He saw Ixa and several others getting ready to make cases against what he had just suggested, but right about then, he was sick of the lot of them. Turning away, he waved a hand dismissively.

“You have your orders. Fleet admiral, pass along the order that we are to move ahead with our assault and send down what forces we can spare to aid those on the ground; I want Shichen or Anta or whatever general we still have aboard my ship to resume command of the ground forces in Ako’s stead. And General Ixa, ensure that all our sides are covered, I want nothing taking us by surprise if they decide that coming at us from behind will be the most suitable plan to counter us.”

Ozai felt a ripple of anger pass down his neck as he heard not the telltale signs of movement and he added coldly, “You’re all dismissed.”

It was then that he heard the noises he had been waiting to hear and he listened to the observation deck clear of his officers and commanders.

It wasn’t as though the points they had raised had been anything greatly exaggerated or cowardly in nature; he knew his generals hadn’t a yellow streak amongst them, and they were merely thinking in regards to what was best for their forces as a whole. But Ozai didn’t care. His chance was finally here, delivered by Obito, and he was going to make good on his attempt to utilize the advantage this day provided him to the best of his abilities.

“Your highness.”

At the voice, he felt his anger break again and he turned with an aggressive spin to see who had yet to leave him in his own musings, snarling as he did.

“Who dares—!!”

His thoughts of shouting at the trespasser to his thoughts along with the potentiality of scorching them from existence disappeared as he gazed upon his two chief scribes.

The scribes looked both as old as the scrolls they spent hours poring over, their deep red robes hanging loosely from their feeble frames. In truth, Ozai was surprised to see them; in wartime, no matter the circumstances, they would remain tucked away in their chambers, looking over battle plans and analyzing old charts and records, always looking to find some advantage Ozai could use to secure victory on any given day, and they had provided him with just that on more than one occasion. When they weren’t conducing wartime studies, they had their ancient eyes turned skyward, studying the stars and predicting what they could of the future. Ozai found this to be a much less useful art than their studies of battles and tactics, but it was a sacred duty they performed even looking at the night sky and he would never dare suggest otherwise.

“Chief scribes,” he said, in a much more civil tone. The older of the two, the woman, raised her arms at her sides, palms facing towards the ceiling of the ship, though Ozai was sure they were directed towards much higher than that.

“We have spent time looking over the ritual that you attempted to perform in the previous weeks, your highness,” she said and Ozai had to keep his lips from pulling back over his tongue in an angry snarl.

“It was a shot in the dark, one that I didn’t even know would work,” he snapped. “I put too much faith in those priests of the Fire Temples to deliver me something as supposedly critical as that would have been, had it worked.”

The fact that he was even talking about this now was frustrating on a level of its own. Here he was, about to achieve the greatest victory in his time as Fire Lord, and he was being reminded of his failures? Despite his own feelings towards his two scribes, his patience was all but worn out and he prepared to order them from his sight.

“We have spent our time today carefully analyzing Sozin’s Comet,” the other scribe said, his soft and lofty voice drifting out in such a way that made whatever he was talking about seem quite inconsequential. “Once in a hundred years and we wanted to know as much as we could about it before it left our sky. That being said, we’ve noticed something… well, quite deviant, your highness, and believe that you ought to know about it. Since this itself might be your crowning achievement as Fire Lord.”

Ozai stared at them, not understanding. “Explain.”

The woman ran fingers over the scrolls she held tucked underneath her arm as she obeyed his directive. “The Ritual of Sozin’s Rites was brought to you as a suggestion that if you cut someone from your life that you truly loved, the true power of the Comet could be revealed.”

 _More reminders of my failure,_ Ozai thought furiously. As if the daily thought of his daughter’s betrayal and the betrayal he had wrought on her to start weren’t aggravating enough.

“But your priests indicated that the princess would need to be… killed, in order for the ritual to take hold and work,” the other said. “But it is our belief that what you did, severing ties with her and expelling her from your life have been enough.”

“What are you talking about?” Ozai snapped, trying to ignore the feeling of underlying excitement in his gut at their words, hardly daring to believe what he was hearing.

The two scribes looked at one another before the male spoke up, his voice trembling with something that might not just have been old age.

“Sozin’s Comet ought to have traveled in a wide curve past our atmosphere before vanishing into the depths of space for another hundred years,” he said, clasping his hands before him. “But as we have watched, it has taken on a new path entirely, one that indicates it would not be a hundred years we would have to wait in order to see it again.”

Ozai felt a lump rising in his throat; what exactly were they suggesting, what exactly was it that he might have unknowingly achieved.

“What does its path indicate?” he asked.

The next words he heard left him speechless for a good while after.

“It has taken an orbit around our planet. As of now, Sozin’s Comet will encircle our celestial body until the day it burns out.”

* * *

It wound up only being about a minute he had to wait, but knowing what was surely happening and how he could be preventing it made it seem like much longer to Sasuke.

He softly ground his heel on the dirt and rubble beneath him, ignoring the expectant looks of those around him. Katara was surely still hoping for a reply of some kind, but he didn’t want to say anything to give away what was about to happen, or it very well might cause something to deviate in his carefully laid plan and he was not interested in getting any external factors involved that he didn’t need to. Sasuke guessed that he probably could have aired out his plan, but if for whatever reason Obito wasn’t quite acting in accordance with Sasuke’s predictions, it was still a chance he didn’t want to take.

“What are we waiting for, Sasuke?” Aang finally asked with an undertone of impatient anxiety.

“Yeah, those ships aren’t getting any further away, and I can’t imagine your plan is to sit here and do nothing,” Sokka added.

Sasuke still said nothing and felt a little slice of guilt traveling through him. It was rather embarrassing to rather cold shoulder everyone like this, but as it turned out, he only needed a few more long seconds before his prediction was accurately settled.

“Sasuke!!”

The voice that called out to him then came from somewhere off behind him and he felt the entire group collectively spin to face whatever sudden third party had suddenly intruded. Sasuke made no such movement and let himself gather his thoughts as he prepared to deal with the situation before him. He heard Ty Lee and Aang both gasp as Suki gave an angry growl before he slowly turned to face what he knew to be.

Obito stood as he had only minutes ago, a dozen yards away and with a grim smile on his face. One hand hung loosely at his side and the other had its elbow wrapped around Jin’s throat who was brushing her feet against the ground in an effort to keep pressure off her neck, her face tense and frightened as she struggled for purchase.

Seeing her like that was the hardest part yet, particularly when Sasuke knew he could have prevented it. But in regards to his plan, this was going exactly as he had thought out.

“Nice trick,” he called in return and Obito gave his head a soft shake.

“No tricks, Sasuke. Just doing what I have to do to get you out of the way.”

He looked around nonchalantly but Sasuke could hear something like nerves in his voice as he asked, “Haven’t seen your brother; he change his mind about showing up?”

Sasuke ignored this and instead demanded in reply, “You want to make this happen so bad? Let her go and let’s finish what we started on that ship.”

Obito lifted Jin a little higher and pulled her closer to him; she let out a soft cry of pain as he did, clenching her eyes shut briefly at his roughness.

“I don’t think I will. You see, I don’t exactly have a lot of time before the Fire Lord makes his way through what’s left of the wall with his army and I want to make sure that he gets a clean entrance. And unfortunately, you’re in the way of that.”

“My father will betray you the same way he betrays everyone!” Zuko shouted, stepping forward. “You have no cause to help him, whatever you want from this city can be obtained without all this bloodshed!”

For a moment, Obito’s eyes flicked to the prince, but Sasuke imagined they were imagining blowing him away for interrupting rather than considering what Zuko was saying. He could see the furious and intense expressions of the rest of his companions, every single one of them looking ready to fly forward with bending, weapons or their fists to try and put Obito down, but he couldn’t allow that; he would take them apart.

Sasuke spoke up before the conversation could get off track from where he wanted it.

“A life for a life then? Me for her?”

Grimacing and pulling herself high enough over his arm to shout out, Jin yelled defiantly, “Don’t listen to him Sasuke, don’t give this guy a thing, no matter what he does to--!”

Obito’s free hand clenched into a fist and struck a blow into Jin’s side and she gasped in pain, not able to finish her plea. He looked back to Sasuke with cold eyes.

“I’m not here to bargain with you, Sasuke and I’m not going to waste time listening to you try to reason with me as I’m sure you’re going to try and do. So I’ll make this good and simple.”

The fist he had clenched twisted and morphed, becoming not a hand, but rather what looked like a grey colored blade that glinted in the orange light above.

“I’m going to ask you to walk slowly over away from your friends and kneel with your back to me. Every other second you don’t comply, I’m going to start cutting pieces from this girl here and eventually I’m sure her screams will get to you.”

Sasuke saw the fear flash in Jin’s eyes but as she met his gaze, she furrowed her brow and shook her head resolutely in his direction. He felt terrible that she had to be forced into this, but so far, this was exactly what he needed.

As Obito raised his eyebrows and drew his bladed arm towards her hand, Sasuke stepped forward.

“Wait. Fine. I’ll trade, her life for mine.”

All at once, his group rounded on him, furious looks now directing towards him. Katara was the first to hiss at him, her eyes wild with anger.

“Are you crazy?! You can’t be serious!!”

Suki’s voice was much more controlled, but the look in Katara’s eyes was reflected in hers as well.

“Sasuke, you do this, and we’re left with nothing to fight him or Ozai’s army. You can’t let… I know, it’s an awful choice to make but…”

She seemed unable to finish and looked towards the ground with gritted teeth; Toph stepped up then, her angry look directed up at him.

“I’m not losing you like this,” she snapped and Mai moved beside her and Sasuke found it curious the amount of panic she had in her eyes, despite her controlled expression.

“Jin doesn’t want this, Sasuke. No one does, Suki’s right. We lose you, we might as all be dead anyway.”

As Sasuke looked around at all of them, he saw more arguments about to burst from the mouths of Katara, Sokka and Toph, the rest looking just as angrily resolute in their opposition to this. Realizing that it could very well be a struggle in and of itself just trying to get past them to hand himself over to Obito, and also knowing that it wouldn’t be long before he started taking pieces off of Jin to spur him onward, Sasuke decided to take a bit of a chance.

“Thanks guys, but I know what I’m doing.”

He said this quietly enough for Obito not to hear it and as he looked around at all of them, Sasuke realized something else.

_They all really do care._

That fear and suspicion they had looked at him with just then wasn’t something that might ever go away, but in the end, as he looked at their faces and saw them all looking back with a different kind of fear, he allowed himself a small smile. Making sure that Obito was hidden behind them for just a moment, Sasuke cocked his head slightly and gave them all a wink; this seemed to catch them off guard, but when he stepped forward, none of them made to stop him as he had feared they might.

“Make no mistake,” Obito said to him as he took another step forward. “I don’t want to kill you. But since you won’t see reason, I simply have to make sure you’re somewhere where you can’t hinder me for the time being.”

Moving a hand gently to his side, Sasuke took Toph’s shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze before letting her go and moving forward alone. Obito’s grim smile widened as his paces slowly drew him nearer, the scuff of dirt underneath his feet the only sound for several long steps before Jin began to struggle again, eyes agonized as she saw Sasuke approaching.

“Stop it!!” she yelled desperately. “I’m not worth it!!”

Obito struck her again and she cried out; at this, Sasuke almost couldn’t keep himself from rushing the bastard and leveling him then and there, but he quickly reminded himself that Obito was surely more than he made him out to be, and his own plan was very gradually coming to fruition. Instead of focusing on his anger at seeing Jin hurt and scared, he focused on how impressed he was with her. Just that morning, she had been pleading quietly for her life in his arms, and now was openly decrying her captor and boldly wishing herself in harms way in order to keep Sasuke from giving himself up. Fear was still so very present in her eyes, but she was fighting it as best she could and damn it all if she wasn’t succeeding against it.

_It’s okay, Jin. Just hang in there a little longer._

He wanted to say this, but kept his mouth shut.

When he was about a ten paces from them, Obito raised an open palm as the blade of his arm reverted back into a hand; Sasuke wondered what it was that was allowing him to contort his form like that.

“Stop. Hands on your head and slowly turn away, back to me.”

Sasuke silently complied, sliding his fingers through his black hair to clasp his head as he rotated around to look back the way he had come, and he got a good look of his allies.

Toph had her arms wrapped around Aang’s left arm, both of them looking like brother and sister who were about to watch cattle be slaughtered for the first time. Ty Lee had one fist near her mouth, her teeth biting her knuckles and the other hand on Mai’s shoulder; Mai had her arms crossed and though she kept her calm expression, her eyes were a storm of their own.

Zuko had an interesting expression, almost as though he were looking forward to what was about to happen while Katara next to him seemed to be lost in the moment, her mouth very slightly ajar as she took in long, slow breaths, her full mane of hair dancing in the breeze of the hot afternoon. Suki and Sokka were hand in hand, looking the most subdued of the lot, eyes sad and anxious. Sasuke wished he could tell them all to relax and not worry, but in truth, he wasn’t sure how well this plan was going to work anyway.

“On your knees.”

Sasuke slowly lowered himself to one knee, then both as he looked forward calmly. Behind him, he could hear Jin continue to struggle and he ground his teeth behind his lips, silently willing her to stop making things worse on herself.

“Don’t hurt him!! Please don’t hurt him, please don’t—”

Another dull hit from behind him and as Jin moaned in pain, Sasuke couldn’t keep himself from snapping angrily.

“I did what you asked, now let her go.”

Obito made a noise of gentle amusement behind him and Sasuke could hear him approaching, Jin in tow, her feet digging into the dirt as they came.

“How amusing, that your connections to the people of this world to which you don’t belong would be your weakness.”

Jin went sailing past him, clearly having been shoved forward by Obito. She sprawled into the dirt, wincing as she pushed herself up, her eyes wide and terrified as she looked back to Sasuke. To his pain, she staggered to her feet, massaging her throat a moment and then rushed his direction, perhaps to Sasuke or to attack Obito perhaps; she only made it a few steps before Suki came up behind her and wrapped her arms around the girl’s waist dragging her backwards. Jin protested and yelled the whole way as she was dragged backwards towards the group and as Sasuke felt Obito just behind him, he knew it was now or never.

“I’ll just be tucking you away for a little while,” Obito said quietly. “There’s nothing to be worried about; it will all make sense in time.”

Sasuke knew if he was pulled into Kamui, it was game over; if it was as Itachi had implied, there was no way to free himself from Obito’s dimension and all would be lost. Ozai would take the day, and everyone standing before him would no doubt be killed or worse.

_This has to work._

He waited just a fraction of a moment longer as he practically could feel Obito preparing to pull him in before Sasuke shouted suddenly.

“Jin, look at me!!”

At his voice, Jin stopped trying to resist and snapped her gaze to his, her desperate and anguished expression enough to sting his gut, but not enough to keep him from triggering his jutsu.

And from there, he could only wait and see if he was to be pulled into Kamui as he continued staring at Jin.

But he remained right where he was, hands on his head, his knees still on the ground. Sasuke could feel the connection though and allowed himself to smile.

_It must have worked._

Without a word, he got to his feet and turned around.

Obito was standing there, eyes glazed over and barely moving other than to breathe. His hand was slightly outstretched, his expression blank as he looked ahead, entirely unseeing. Knowing likely how close it had just been to him being pulled into Kamui, he let a quiet sigh of relief exit through his nostrils. Through the genjutsu he was now working, he nudged Obito’s mind gently and suggested that he sit down which Obito did unceremoniously, dropping onto his rear with his legs crossed, his expression remaining foggily passive.

_It worked._

He turned back towards his group and saw them all staring hesitantly with wide eyes, clearly unsure what to think and he gave them all a smile. Tears swam in Jin’s eyes and she broke free of Suki’s now slackened grip to run up and throw her arms around his shoulders.

“Thank you,” she cried in his ear and he put an arm around her in turn, giving her a tight squeeze. She truly had been scared for her life, badly and probably was surprised to even be alive.

“You did all the work,” Sasuke replied with some dry humor. “Made it real easy for me.”

She gave a wet laugh and as they moved apart, Katara stepped forward; Sasuke saw her eying Jin with what looked like irritation as she asked of him, “What exactly did you just do to him?”

As Sasuke approached the group, letting Toph wrap around his waist in a relieved hug and giving a bemused and still frightened looking Aang a soft punch in the shoulder, he replied.

“I knew that when it came down to Obito, he would probably make his move on one of you guys instead of me.”

“Us?” Sokka said in bewilderment. “Why us?”

Sasuke looked back at the now inactive Obito situated on the ground as he elaborated.

“I got the feeling early on, even aboard the ship that he wasn’t sure exactly how strong I was. He then probably saw me fighting Ozai’s army and saw what I was able to manage and became even more unsure of how he’d be able to handle me in a fight.”

It struck him that he was still slightly embarrassed to admit the next, but he did anyway in a softer, more grumbling tone.

“And I… kind of care about you guys, so he tried to take advantage of that.”

Suki reached over and squeezed his wrist a moment and he saw her smiling warmly at him.

“Why did he pick Jin, though?” Ty Lee asked. “We were all here with you, he could have grabbed any one of us instead.”

It was then that Sasuke knew he didn’t want to tell the full truth; honesty right about then would have been much more detrimental than anything.

“He probed my head, I think,” Sasuke said; this at least was true. “He saw probably a bunch of faces and images, and he picked her out.”

Why he had was a much more personal question and would surely lead to a fair bit of tension if he got into it, so Sasuke was quite glad when Sokka pushed on.

“So, what just happened? How did you do that, why is he like… that?”

He gestured to Obito’s paralyzed looking form. Sasuke followed his gaze and smirked.

“The technique I use to mess with people’s mental processes is called genjutsu. It’s how I stopped Ako back at the temple, it’s what I used on both Mai and Azula at the prison, as a couple examples.”

Turning his gaze to Mai, he saw her face tense up and knew that the brief mental trauma he had flung at her still stung; he made a mental note to properly apologize for it when he got a chance.

“But Obito is like me, in more ways that one. His eyes have some of the same abilities that mine do, and he would have been able to see me using the technique on him the moment I made proper eye contact with him; that’s how the genjutsu is activated, through eye contact. I knew it would be my best chance against him, but he would see it coming and be able to defend against it.”

Katara crossed her arms. “But clearly it worked.”

Sasuke nodded. “Compounding this with the fact that I imagined he might use one of you as leverage, and knowing that this would be the best way to deal with him rather than fight him head on, I used the genjutsu hours ago.”

They blinked at him in confusion.

“I don’t understand,” Aang said, surely speaking for all present.

“I planted the genjutsu trigger in each of your eyes this morning,” Sasuke explained. “Essentially, if I triggered it, your eyes would launch the genjtusu, despite not being able to generate one yourself. It was the best way to catch him off guard. All I needed him to do was look into your eyes and I could trigger it, which he did just now when I had Jin look at me. He looked at her too, surely curious as to why I was shouting for her, and I caught him.”

He saw many of them now looking somewhat uncomfortable.

“I had something in my eye…?” Sokka asked, rubbing his eyes somewhat nervously.

“It’s not going to hurt you,” Sasuke said. “And when the genjutsu is dispelled from being cast on Obito, the visual triggers will naturally disappear.”

There was a pause then and Sasuke knew why. What he had done had been devious, silent and not the least bit questionable, to use them all as what was essentially bait without telling them. No one met his eyes just then, but he saw flickers of hurt on Suki, Aang and Mai’s faces and angry touches on Katara, Zuko, Ty Lee and Toph’s. Sokka still looked more discomforted than anything, his face contorting humorously as though he expected something to come crawling out of his eye, but when Sasuke looked to Jin, her expression pained him the most of any.

It was the same hurt on the faces of some of the others, but her eyes held something more than just that. They seemed to glow with something like realization, as though she had just come to a conclusion, some assessment of Sasuke that she hadn’t yet considered. He knew that in that silence, a judgement was being passed and it wasn’t one that he was going to be able to undue, nor did he have any right to.

“You knew… you knew he might come for me? Use me against you?” she finally asked quietly.

There was nothing else that Sasuke could say beyond affirmation.

“Yes.”

Jin wrapped her arms around herself and didn’t meet his gaze, saying nothing more. For a moment, Sasuke almost stepped forward and apologized in that very moment, but he caught himself; eventually, they would thank him for this, what he had just done had been all he needed to render Obito helpless and he could continue now with his plan and ensure that the day could be won. This was no time to be sentimental or emotional.

 _I did the right thing_ , he angrily told himself. _If they knew what I had done, this might not have worked._

“I had no guarantee this was what it would come to, but it was the best way to protect you,” he finally said, the closest thing to an apology that he could manage. He caught the glares of Suki, Katara and Mai then and Toph opened her mouth clearly with something angry to say, but Aang spoke up first; the Avatar’s face seemed resigned to the choice Sasuke had made and looked past Sasuke towards Obito.

“How long would he stay like that?”

“Either until I released him from the jutsu or until his body forced him out of it. Mentally, he’s trapped, but if he is dealt any physical trauma or pain, his body will insticinitively free him, even as he can’t do so of his free will.”

Sokka chewed the inside of his mouth before shrugging and asking,

“So, what’s the plan now?”

Glad to be past the topic of his shady behavior at least for the time being, Sasuke turned back to Obito and crossed his arms.

“Obito is trying to clear the way for Ozai and his forces. He’s half-accomplished that by taking down the wall, but he knows that I’d be able to stop his forces still. Against benders and with the wall down, Ozai has an easy path as long as I’m out of the way so his goal was to stick me in his alternate dimension until the day was won.”

“He can do something like that?” Sokka asked incredulously and Sasuke nodded grimly.

“It’s how he got himself and Ozai out of the ship like he did. Right now, time is of the essence for him. Now, I’m going to waste a little time and let Ozai get himself and his army closer to the city.”

He could practically feel the disbelief behind him then as he heard a bluster of angry reactions, Katara’s being the foremost he heard.

“Why the hell would you want that?!”

Sasuke turned back to them, letting his cold and low voice cut through their objections to his decision as he explained himself.

“My easiest way to take down Obito is to make him do something rash. When I cancel the jutsu and he wakes up to see that Ozai is just about here, he’ll panic and do everything he can, as quickly as he can to remove me from the fight. I need him going after he as hard and quick as he feels is necessary for me to get a hit on him; if he’s unfocused and reckless, I can catch him with Amaterasu.”

He could hear the exasperation in Katara’s voice as she inquired, “With what?”

“My black fire,” Sasuke said. “If I can catch him with it, he’ll have to retreat to his dimension to avoid it. I’m going to make a shadow clone of myself with as much jutsu as I can spare to grab ahold and slip in with him. With a shadow clone there, and me here, he’ll have to fight us both at the same time and won’t be able to hide from me.”

Clenching his fist, Sasuke’s lips pulled angrily back from his teeth as he glared at Obito’s slumped form.

“I’m stronger than him, I know I am. And if I can catch him like this before he can use that Rinnegan to hit me with any tricks I won’t see coming, I can put him down quickly and efficiently, and then be able to finish off Ozai and his army.”

He let this settle over them all and when he heard no response to his plan, he looked back to see them all looking at him with varying levels of anger and hurt still, but with a tired edge now amongst them, which Suki vocalized by muttering, “You’ll have to forgive us if most of what you just said doesn’t make a lick of sense to us.”

Realizing his explanation probably required several explanations of its own, Sasuke waved a hand dismissively as he turned back to his foe.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’m going to spend a few minutes to recharge some chakra; thankfully, him being stuck in my genjutsu means he isn’t able to regain any to his reserves himself, so that’ll be another advantage I’ll have.”

 _That, and I’m pretty sure I need to,_ he thought as he slowly sat down, cross legged and closed his eyes, letting energy start to regenerate through his tired body. He started considering the possibilities of how Obito might choose to attack him when he made his move, trying to imagine just what he would bring to bear in an attempt to quickly remove Sasuke from the equation. At his back, his allies fell silent which he found more than relieving; truly, and mental strain he spent on answering more of their questions would only make the process of recharging himself less beneficial in the long run. Every second was a moment to let his chakra flow send energy flooding back through him even as his mind went to work in trying to prepare for what was about to be the next most crucial moment.

A couple minutes had passed before he heard Toph speak up, her voice sounding distant in how much Sasuke had been distancing himself from the physicality of the moment.

“Is he sleeping…?”

It took a moment for Sasuke to realize that he was indeed sitting there with his eyes closed, breathing deeply and consistently, rather as though he were asleep sitting up.

“Hey, Sasuke!”

He didn’t react to Sokka’s shout, hoping they would just leave him be.

“Don’t bother him, he’s probably in some kind of trance or whatever unnatural crap he has to get up to in order to be the way he is.”

Zuko’s bitter voice cut quietly over and he heard Suki reply in a tone that was almost reprimanding.

“What’s unnatural to us is hardly unnatural to him, and in case you haven’t noticed, it’s been doing a damn good job of keeping us safe.”

There was a harsh laugh from Zuko then as he replied immediately. “If it wasn’t for his kind being in our world, we wouldn’t need to be kept safe. One of his kind just blew the wall down and is currently sitting there, and I don’t know why we’re not just going and sticking a blade in his throat now.”

Sasuke tensed somewhat at this; if Zuko or anyone else tried to make a move on Obito, there was no telling what could happen. He very much doubted a knife to the throat would be enough to put him down; when he had fought Obito on board the _Azulon_ , he had noticed that any cuts or blood he was drawing had been almost immediately healed within moments. Something about Obito’s physique provided him with something like a regenerative ability that healed wounds such as those from a kunai or a sword. Sasuke had very little doubt that if Zuko went to stab him, Obito would shake it off and probably kill him just as quickly. He extended a chakra feeler into his surroundings, feeling for any sudden movement; if anyone tried to make a rash move, he would see it coming.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Lee, please,” came Jin’s voice. She still sounded pained and subdued, but there was that energy that she had always seemed to possess so much of present in her voice once again. “We don’t know something like that would even work, and Sasuke’s plan has worked so far.”

There was a pause before Katara inquired what had been inside Sasuke’s head as well, regarding how Jin had just addressed him.

“Jin… why do you keep calling him ‘Lee’?”

Mai made an absolutely derisive noise just about then, and Sasuke could only imagine the expressions being passed around behind him. Surprisingly enough to him, Zuko was the first speak next, clearly having something he wanted to say before what was clearly some form of charade lasted any longer.

“Jin, there’s something you need to know about me.”

As he said this, Jin made a soft sound of amusement; Sasuke listened to what might have been the sound of her pacing a few steps away before she spoke quietly.

“What, that your name is actually Zuko and that you’re on the run from your father for betrayal of your nation and the Earth Nation for war crimes and as a high ranking target?”

Sasuke allowed himself a moment to be impressed that she hadn’t been quite as airheaded to have let something like that slip past her.

_Not bad._

“I know who you really are,” she continued. Her voice was strained, like she didn’t want to consider the idea that they were even having this conversation. “But that night we had… it was special enough that even after you disappeared from the city a little while after that and I started to piece things together, I don’t… I’m sorry, but can I please just spend one more day pretending that’s who you really were? Before… before this ends and someone drags you away to be tried, or interrogated, or—”

Her line of thought finally seemed to be too much for Mai who spoke up with a venom that Sasuke had seldom heard in her voice.

“There isn’t going to _be_ anyone to drag him away, and it’s about time you grew up. Sitting here listening to you blubber on about how you’re living in some fantasy you know isn’t real is making me sick.”

Sasuke was rather glad that Ty Lee spoke up then, the frown evident in her tone.

“Leave her alone, Mai, she’s just a—”

“A what??” Mai snapped back, firing up immediately. “A kid? So are we, by that logic. A civilian? Innocent? Naïve? Get real, Ty, as if any of us haven’t already…”

Mai would keep talking past this, but Sasuke quite quickly found himself focusing on something much more immediately relevant than whatever had Mai so ticked off.

What happened next occurred too quickly for him to react to it before it was too late.

His chakra field that he had let wisp and settle around him was suddenly shifted and shaken by a burst of movement. Sasuke had been feeling carefully for any of his companions to rush forward and try and make a move on Obito after he had heard what Zuko said, but the disturbance he felt then didn’t come from any of them, nor did it even come from someone on the ground.

It came from someone from above.

Sasuke opened his eyes, already practically knowing what was happening and trying to get to his feet even as he saw Azula bearing down above Obito with fire bursting from her feet propelling her towards him and lightning crackling in her clawlike hands. There was a ferociously excited grin on her face, her eyes alive with malice and intensity as she drew her arms back even as Sasuke reached out in a futile attempt to stop her. As he managed a step forward, he watched her shout something towards him that he couldn’t make sense of as lightning spat from her hands and struck Obito’s form.

Forced to redirect his movement as Obito came roaring back to life, shouting as the electricity blasted his body, Sasuke jumped to the side as a powerful force burst in a sphere around Obito propelling everything away from him in a short radius, Azula included. She would have likely dashed her head against the rubble and perhaps not gotten back up had Sasuke not managed to intercept her in her, wrapping his arms around her chest and gathering chakra in his feet to skid them to a halt, negating the force that had thrust them backwards.

Setting Azula down beside him, Sasuke didn’t take his eyes away from Obito. A chunk of him wanted to turn on her right then and berate her for doing something so rash and risky, but the more focused part of him knew that doing so would be terribly imprudent in a time like this as Obito got to his feet with a wince, eyes blazing back to life, looking around as he regained control of his body.

To Sasuke’s back, the petty arguing had thankfully come to a halt as everyone surely had seen what had just occurred in a matter of seconds that might very well have tipped the scales of the struggle that day. He wanted to tell them to run, but drawing focus to them would no doubt potentially plant the seed in Obito’s head to take advantage of them being just there before him and try and attack them to get at Sasuke and force him on the defensive.

Nonetheless, Azula pulled almost needily at his arm with a tender desperation as she whispered, “I was just trying to help you, I just wanted to—”

Her quiet voice was silenced as Sasuke opened his mouth and called out loudly to Obito; his plan foiled or not, he still could potentially make use of what little he was left with right then.

“Dozed off there for a little while, did you? We were just talking about what to do with you, thought you might have gone into a coma or something.”

His jesting was obvious, but he drew attention to the primary factor that he knew had been eating at his enemy and watched as Obito quickly flicked his gaze towards the blown out wall, trying to get a glimpse of the airships no doubt.

 _Good. The less he knows about how much time has passed, the better,_ Sasuke thought as Obito turned back to him, his face set in a tight snarl.

“That was a sneaky trick, Sasuke,” he growled by way of reply. “Using the girl to trap me like that. Though I have to admit, you not attempting to do anything further to me while I was under that little spell seems awfully counterproductive.”

Sasuke shrugged, trying to air out a nonchalant attitude towards the whole situation. “Well, like I said, we weren’t sure what to do with you. I was talked out of just killing you outright, but I’ll be honest, I don’t know it—”

He would have liked a little more warning, but he supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised. Obito flew at him with all the force of a tidal wave and it was all he could do to leap at such an angle that the full body tackle he received didn’t send him plowing into his allies. Immediately, space began to swirl around him as Obito attempted to pull him into Kamui and Sasuke snarled as the crashed into the ground, sliding along its surface as he fired off his Amaterasu around himself, causing Obito to leap away from him. Both of them slid to their feet and regarded one another a dozen feet apart.

Behind him, Sasuke was hoping beyond hope that his allies had taken the common sense upon themselves to leave the scene before what was about to happen, but as he heard Azula calling his name desperately as she ran towards him and felt the others running after her to catch up, he knew that he was going to have to deal with this himself.

Knowing he had seconds at best, he looked up at Obito and saw the Sharingan and Rinnegan flashing back at him, a reminder that he was very much fighting one of his own kin and the thought sent a pang of regret through him.

“I’m sorry it had to wind up like this,” he heard himself say and Obito nodded back at him.

“As am I.”

Sasuke initiated this time; he knew he had to get Obito away from everyone else, especially Azula who seemed hellbent on putting herself in harm’s way for his sake. As Obito fired off a jutsu that caused roots and bark to come exploding from the ground to halt his approach, he fired off a fireball jutsu that was meant as a distraction more than anything and slipped beneath it rather than following its upward path as Obito deflected it. Nearing his opponent enough to catch him off guard, Sasuke reached out and grabbed Obito by the collar, whipped him around his body and smashed him in the back with a kick that was fueled by as much chakra as he could muster in the moment. He felt Obito create a cushion of chakra himself to keep the strike from quite literally blowing apart his spine, but the hit still sent him flying out of sight almost immediately.

Sasuke touched down and prepared to launch himself after Obito, to keep the fight away from the people he cared about; tensing up, he readied some hand seals to barrage Obito with more fire and keep the pressure on. It was going to be a true fight now, that couldn’t be helped, and it was time to give it all he had.

“Sasuke!!”

Just as he was about to kick off from the ground to go jetting across the heat baked earth, Toph’s voice grabbed at his gut and held him there for just a moment as he saw his allies out of the corner of his eye running towards him. And as he truly didn’t know just how this day would come to an end, it caused him to grit his teeth as he kept himself from looking at Toph or any of them.

“Run.”

That was all he said before he obeyed his tightened muscles and hurled himself into hell, ready to meet Obito and whatever he had in store for him.

* * *

What happened that day within the sprawling expanse of Ba Sing Se was something that would be told of for generations to come by all those who would survive the day. It was never as much about the sides, about Earth and Water against fire, about what was being fought for or even about the Avatar and the Fire Lord and what they represented.

For the two men locked in a violent struggle to crush the life from one another was something that transcended the understanding of the war as the city’s residents knew it. This was different and it would resonate as such for as long as there were those to tell the story.

Much of the city within had been evacuated but a great many had stayed within the walls for any number of reasons: some felt no hope in abandoning the walls that they had known for so long to be the safest place on earth, and others felt sure that all their fear had been for naught and it would only be a matter of time before the Fire Lord was rightly defeated before he came anywhere near the city. His supposed advance had been nothing more than propaganda and fear-mongering, they said.

But the sky had faded from blue to orange that morning and the heat began to settle quickly over the city, an oppressive and invisible force that caused sweat to form on all but the most climate tempered individuals. Still, many thousands remained, out of fear, denial, or hope, wishing and asserting with all their might that the day would pass and everything would be fine. They listened to the far off noises of battle, explosions and rumbles beneath their feet and they knew that for certain something very cataclysmic was occurring beyond their sight. The vast majority of the remaining populace had long moved inward, away from the west where the Fire Lord was advancing from, far enough everyone was certain that they would be fine, as though proximity to the wall they were putting so much stock in protecting them was somehow linked to their relative safety.

The shockwave had taken all by surprise, the rushing force that had knocked everyone standing off their feet and had boomed loudly in their eardrums. When they were able to pick themselves up and stop their ears from ringing, they looked out over towards where the massive force had come from and saw nothing short of a storm of dust obscuring their view of the wall. Silence had fallen over all as they watched for the sight to clear and when it did, hope became something very hard to grasp.

The wall had been breached, to a monumental degree no less, and despair had started to cling to all denizens of Ba Sing Se. Fathers lied to their families that everything was under control, wives tried to look strong before their children and those children looked at their parents trying to hide their fear and knew something to be very wrong.

Friends and family clutched one another as they waited for the end to come.

But they saw no fire as they looked on and waited across the miles of the city they occupied. No great plumes of flame that signaled the advance of the Fire Nation as they waited with bated breath. Perhaps, some dared to think, the attack had failed?

Those occupying the city square were the first to bear witness to what would compose the stories, they would in essence be the first tellers of these tales; two men crashed down in the center of the square, sending pavement, people and dirt flying as they skidded across its surface. Those who were quick enough leapt free or ran from the sudden destruction and those who weren’t were dashed aside in their wake.

When the two men stood, it was clear there was more to them then there might have seemed; they were dressed oddly, seemed completely unharmed after their sudden, violent impact, and sported eyes that glowed of a vicious red, one of them having a purple eye to accompany the other. As they straightened and regarded each other for a moment, someone’s child stepped forward towards the man with the purple eye and asked him if he was a spirit. Neither he nor the other man said a word, or even seemed to acknowledge the people around them and within the blink of an eye, they were on top of one another, their forearms striking hard enough to create a blast that flung any nearby bystanders to the ground as though by a windstorm.

From here, the tales would differ as, while the men fought, they traversed great lengths of space in their attempt to harm one another; they tackled each other through buildings, sometimes one of them throwing the other clear through a skyscraper; explosions of fire and electricity the size of airships blossomed about the streets and paths and the ground itself shook at their destructive passing. Different people would tell different stories of what they saw, and these respective tellings would collage into stories that would eventually become legend for those in Ba Sing Se.

The legend of the two men who, as gods, fought in their midst.

For that is how such a fight seemed to the city’s residents as they could only watch the bits and pieces of it that they saw. Things were claimed that when brought outside the city, they were dismissed as wild exaggerations, claims of giant purple arms swinging their way to cleave apart entire city blocks, walls of fire beyond anything a firebender could achieve, the two men literally taking flight to exchange blows in midair that would create thunderous booms on each strike.

Neither Obito nor Sasuke ever considered the impact they were having on the world that wasn’t theirs as they exchanged blows. For them, it was much more of a personal affair, even as buildings collapsed, streets erupted and the very sky they leapt through exploded as their battle tore its way through the city. They had their own reasons for fighting and neither of them was willing to give any quarter whatsoever. Awareness of the devastation one another wielded was entirely present between them and it fueled them to be as fast and relentless as they could be. When Obito saw Amaterasu coming to life, he sent a torrent of wood based jutsu crashing around Sasuke to throw him off and when Sasuke saw Obito trying to come in close to capture him inside his Kamui, he sent Chidori blasting all around him to keep him away. Neither were underestimating the other and it made them as dangerous as they possibly could be.

No thought was spared towards their own plights or the plights of one another; with the speed and focus they were fighting with, such thoughts could have been nothing short of suicide. But images flashed before them, faces they couldn’t keep from seeing in their minds eye and faces they were fine with seeing as they gave them strength and resolve of an overwhelming kind.

With every blow he struck, Obito saw Rin’s face as clear as day smiling before him. Itachi’s words of disdain and hopelessness meant nothing to him: he had determined all that he needed to, that Rin was alive and he was going to return to her before anything else could happen. It was stunningly simple for him, and he relished the ease at which he felt towards every fist, every kick, every jutsu that knocked Sasuke away. Family or not, of his world or not, he was nothing more than an obstacle between him and Rin and such obstacles needed to be removed.

Had Sasuke taken the time to actually pause and consider his motivation, things would have been a fair bit more complicated. Faces flashed in his mind too, but there was more than one and each of them presented their own share of complications had he given thought to each one. He sent a thunderclap of Chidori expulsing from his hand and in the blue flash, he saw Azula, smiling with that possessive grin, but there was that fear in her eyes, that longing and hurt. He leapt into the air to tackle Obito a hundred feet above him, swiping with his kunai and in the blood he drew, he saw Mai looking over her shoulder at him, expression unreadable as she tightened her lips before looking away quickly. As Obito sent a tidal wave of fire roaring past him and he drew up the ribs of his Susanoo to protect himself, he saw Toph in the orange and purple, smiling hesitantly in his direction, scratching the back of her head absently. When blood streamed down his cheeks as he sent Amaterasu slashing through the air to try and burn the life from Obito, he saw Katara’s intense and vivid expression, hiding behind locks of her rich hair as it danced in the breeze. There came slices of air as sharp as any knives could be and Sasuke was forced to shoot through the streets past scared and helpless civilians and he could have sworn he saw Aang watching him from the faces he passed, the blades of solid air slamming down around him.

He saw the faces of all the people he had met and come to grow attached to since his abrupt forcing into this world, but even as he ignored their smiles and gazes, he heard a voice in the back of his head, loud enough to have been there and quiet enough to be a memory.

_“I know how you feel, Sasuke. You’ve lost so much that you don’t think there’s anything to risk losing now. But I promise you… you’ll know them when you’ve lost them. And you’ll hate yourself every day for not doing everything you could to protect them.”_

Sasuke somehow knew that he was hearing the voice of someone from his world, someone who had perhaps taught him. It was the barest flicker of an image, but he thought he saw someone with a shock of white hair and a mask pulled up over their nose, their eyes looking at him sadly and compassionately. He knew that person had cared about him and wondered if they missed him now, now that he was—

Sasuke would just have time enough to roll to the right and propel himself up the side of a building as wood erupted from beneath him, nearly skewering him like a rat in a trap. He cursed himself as he flitted his way up its wall and shot into the air, high above any building left in the city; he had nearly paid the price for taking the time to ponder anything other than Obito’s assault and he caught sight of his opponent roaring up beneath him.

_Fine. Let’s finish this first._


	27. Chapter 27

** Chapter 27: The Battle of Ba Sing Se – Part 2 **

****

Mai was deeply thankful that both Zuko and Ty Lee were on top of things for as she watched Sasuke go soaring off after Obito, nothing was further from her mind right about then than Azula. Instead, she had been trying to rationalize the sudden urge she had felt to scream after him to try and keep him from charging into battle. Why had such a feeling instilled itself in her veins, she thought as she clenched her fists and teeth. She knew there was a part of her that had the answer, but not for the first time, she fought it down, not wanting to hear what it had to say.

In the meantime, Azula had just about gotten to the point where she would have taken to the skies to shoot after Sasuke, but just as blue tongues of fire crackled from beneath her feet, Zuko and Ty Lee nearly met in midair as they tackled her to the ground just as she lifted off. The screaming was what knocked Mai from her reverie and she shook her head, blinking, as she looked down at the pair of them clinging tightly to her. Just as she had when Mai and Suki had gone after her atop the wall, her thrashing and shrieking became eerily familiar.

“Let go of me, let go of me, damn you both!! This is it, don’t you see?! This is the only person who has a chance on this planet of harming him, and I can help him win!! He could be hurt, I have to help him!!”

Her cries were full of a manic desperation and Mai could tell that Azula truly believed that Sasuke may not be able to succeed without her help. She walked up alongside the three of them as the others crowded around the struggling Azula as well, faces set and ready to spring to action if it was necessary.

“Help him, you mean like how you helped him just now?” Mai asked coldly. She knew that it was foolish to say something to exacerbate what was already a wash of intense fury and fear in Azula, but her anger outweighed her common sense in that moment as she looked disgustedly down at her. “He had everything under control, and now it’s because of you that he’s in this situation. You knocked Obito out of Sasuke’s trance and now he’s fighting for his life.”

As she spoke her next words, there came a very distressing pang in her gut as she knew the truth of them.

“And there’s nothing you or any of us can do to help him.”

She fully expected Azula to start foaming at the mouth and redouble her screaming, but she only looked up at Mai with wide eyes and went somewhat limp in Zuko and Ty Lee’s grips. The both of them looked surprised as their strained faces of having to hold her down faded, but while they looked curiously at Azula, they didn’t so much as come close to releasing her.

Azula’s face became full of helplessness and she drooped her head, panting towards the ground at the effort she had been putting forth to try and escape, but made no further attempts to do so.

“I know,” she said, so quietly it was almost missed by Mai who blinked in shock at this admission. “But I have to be by his side, it’s the only way I can… I can…”

She trailed off and didn’t finish her thought, but Mai thought she had a pretty good idea of what she had been about to say. And on top of that, she had caught herself feeling pity for Azula again, something that she had to remind herself that the princess had very recently tried to use to sway her judgement. Not willing to fall for any potential trickery again, she simply crossed her arms and looked away, saying nothing else.

Of course, Zuko, the optimistic and compassionate thing he had become, was the first to quietly address his sister.

“Azula… this thing you have for him… I’m not saying you can’t or shouldn’t have a crush on him, but whatever this is, it isn’t healthy, not at all.”

This on the other hand seemed to fire her right back up and she snapped her face to an inch away from his, eyes blazing and mouth peeled in a snarl; Zuko recoiled as she hissed at him.

“It isn’t a ‘crush’ that I have on him, you imbecile, I love him, don’t you understand!!”

It was such a thing to hear her even say those words and Mai felt a lump swell in her throat that she knew was caused by more than one thing. She caught glimpses of Katara and Toph both looking to fight down winces, with Toph looking down at her feet as she anxiously dug her toes into the ground while Katara swallowed and took slow, long breaths.

But as Zuko stared at his sister, pain and a clear lack of understanding on how to approach this situation written on his face, a quiet, pure voice spoke up behind them all.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know if that’s what love is.”

Mai turned in unison with everyone else to see Jin standing a couple meters behind them, looking very hurt and tired herself, but there was a sad smile on her face.

“I’m not saying I know all there is to know about love,” she said, clearly not perturbed by the fact that she had taken the attention of all present. “But hurling yourself at him every chance you get… without even thinking about what he’s feeling, I don’t know if that’s love.”

Azula slowly made to get to her feet and Ty Lee and Zuko let her, but both watched her with wide and careful eyes, hands slightly raised as if to tackle her again at a moment’s notice; Suki and Sokka both gently rotated over to provide backup, should that prove to be necessary, but fortunately, for the time being, Azula was content to leer furiously towards the girl she had nearly killed that morning.

“I would kill for him,” Azula growled in a voice that shook with emotion. “I would be tortured for him, I would die for him, I would do _anything_ for him. And you tell me that isn’t love?”

“Do you care how he feels?” Jin asked and Azula simply froze on the spot, her face a reflection of the turmoil she was surely feeling. The two stared at one another for a long moment before Aang stepped forward, clearing his throat as he did; Mai noticed that he flicked his eyes at Katara with something almost like suspicion as he spoke, his words a calming lull nonetheless.

“I think Azula is right. Even if those two are… well, beyond anything we’ve seen or likely will ever see again, this isn’t just Sasuke’s fight. He’s here because of us and he’s risking his life because of us. I can’t sit here and just watch while our futures get decided.”

Suki sighed. “I hear what you’re saying, Aang, but what can any of us do to help? Bending or not, you’ve seen how fast they move. How quick and vicious they are, they were at each other’s throats faster than I could blink.”

Sokka added next to her, “And that power they’ve got. Sasuke took down the majority of an _army_ all by himself and Obito literally just took down a wall the size of a mountain. We’d be like insects if we tried to interfere in that fight; technically Zuko here did more damage to Sasuke than Ozai’s whole army, and all he managed was a punch to the face.”

Zuko swallowed as he surely recalled the previous night, but Sokka’s words merely resulted in Aang looking on with even more earnest.

“That’s just my point! They’re human! They can be hurt, we’ve seen it! Azula managed to get a little when they fought at the temple, Zuko punched him like you said, something Toph’s done herself a fair bit, and Suki, you poked him with a marshmallow stick a couple nights ago, and he jumped like a foot!”

Crossing her arms and looking embarrassed to be reminded of such a memory, Suki muttered, “He was asking for it.”

Aang smiled briefly as he briefly thought upon what had been a much happier moment than the one they were currently experiencing. “They can be hurt and they can be killed! There has to be something we can do!”

“And how do you propose we got about that?” Zuko asked bitterly. “You’re assuming that Obito won’t be able to just flick a glance at us and make our heads explode or something.”

For whatever reason, Aang fired up immediately. “You just don’t want to help him because you think that he and Mai are crushing on each other!”

Mai had been halfway through swallowing and nearly choked on her own saliva as Aang’s words rang out; she did her best to keep herself from reddening in the cheeks and she was aware of several of their company looking her way and then back to Zuko; she felt her lips curling in anger.

 _Why’d you have to go and do that, Aang?_ she thought angrily.

But before she could so much as manage some sort of rebuttal or attempt to keep the situation from growing more out of control than it already had, a deep, chilling voice sounded from somewhere behind her.

“Your heart is strong, Avatar, but I’m afraid that it would most likely be wise to heed your friends. There is nothing you could that Obito wouldn’t be able to avoid, and putting yourself in harm’s way would be completely counter to what Sasuke is trying to accomplish.”

She turned and saw the same man that had intervened aboard the _Azulon_ striding towards them through the surrounding layer of dust and ash. Clad in black and looking entirely unfazed by the proceedings around him, Sasuke’s brother slowly approached them, wrapped in the striking black cloak decorated with red clouds that Mai remembered. He was imposing as anyone could be and she had to resist the urge to step back as he neared them; Toph on the other hand seemed to have no feelings of intimidation whatsoever as she stomped forward.

“Itachi!!” she shouted out and the man in question raised his eyebrows a raise.

“You remember my name,” he remarked and Mai found herself frowning as she heard his voice; sure enough, this was the same man that had appeared and been confirmed before as Sasuke’s brother, but there was no such remembrance in her head of his voice being that low, or that powerful.

“Yeah, I remember your name!!” Toph barked, still utterly unfazed as she stopped a foot in front of him, fists on her hips as she blew hair angrily out of her face. Seeing her staring down Itachi was something that Mai realized looked quite comical, considering their size differences and general appearance. Nonetheless, it was clear that Toph had finally found somewhere to relieve her anger and frustration surely with the whole situation before them and was happy to do so.

“What are you doing here?!” she shouted. “Sasuke is out there risking his life and you’re here doing nothing?!”

Itachi stared down at her while she breathed deeply and angrily, saying nothing for a long while. When he did speak, he turned his gaze upwards and stared in the direction that Sasuke and Obito had disappeared in, as though looking to see them both out amongst the city in the distance.

“Sasuke has chosen his path, just as Obito has. For me to interfere now would be… ill in a sense that you wouldn’t be able to understand.”

Toph swelled furiously, but didn’t look like she had any idea how to respond; Mai heard herself talking before she knew it, her words coming from a place that she hadn’t known existed.

“You helped him on the ship, why aren’t you helping him now?”

To see Itachi now was such an odd feeling for her. She thought back to the stories that Sasuke had told them on Appa’s back, knowing full well now what had transpired with this particular individual and how his story was forever intertwined with Sasuke’s, and was likely the reason that Sasuke was so entirely broken as a person now. What he had seen and what it had done to him surely had developed him into the stunted and quiet person that he was now, cold and difficult to see into.

But from everything Sasuke had reiterated to them, Itachi had been, at his core, the most selfless person that anyone could be, silently taking the judgement and hate of so many, including his own brother as he lived with the blood of his entire clan and family on his hands. Sasuke had never come out and said it directly, but Mai knew from just the story itself that Itachi hadn’t done everything just for his village as Sasuke suggested, he had done it a great deal in part for his little brother. The thought then was enough to send a pang through Mai’s heart as she looked expectantly at Sasuke’s brother.

Itachi looked into her eyes long enough for a chill to run up her spine; Sasuke shared his eyes, black and frigid, but when he spoke, his voice was distant and perhaps a little pained.

“Our clan is a cursed one,” was what he finally said. “Our members have always strived for power above all else, forsaking everything in their path for the purpose of achieving strength. Through our eyes, we became more than we were, and it is because of this that I can do nothing now.”

“You didn’t seem so particular about some clan related crap when you showed up aboard the flagship,” Suki snapped and Mai tensed, seeing Ty Lee and Aang do the same; while they had heard Itachi’s story before, they really knew very little about him beyond that. Was he the type to simply snap Suki’s neck because of her show of attitude? Or Toph for her accusatory shouting?

Mai guessed that she found it perhaps a little relieving when he laughed gently, a soft sound but one that seemed to thunder in her ears nonetheless.

“When I left the vessel in pursuit of Obito, I came to find knowledge that, though not entirely revealing, told me more than I knew previously about why we’ve been forced into your world.”

At this, Mai’s breath caught in her throat. Beside her, everyone seemed to grow quite still and silent, Toph included who took a soft step back; if there was the chance that they were about to be granted information on why it was that they had been granted the chance to meet Sasuke at all, it was information that everyone was desperate to hear. Mai had never expected that she might find out why it was that people like Sasuke now roamed their world but with Itachi alluding to answers now, she fell as expectantly silent as she could, waiting for more.

But unfortunately for them, further elaboration was not to be, at least not in the sense that they had hoped.

“I came to understand that I had a place to interfere and a place to stand by,” Itachi said. “Sasuke is undergoing what might perhaps be his most pivotal moment yet in his journey and I cannot, for the moment, intervene on the behalf of either him nor Obito: what is happening now must remain out of my control.”

“How is this any more important than what he’s already experienced?” Katara asked, a cool edge to her voice. Mai could tell that she wanted to snap at him as Suki had, but was just enough in control of herself to avoid such an outburst. “It sounds like his whole life has been a cluster of tragedies and hardships and you’re just going to let him face another?”

Just before he answered, Mai found herself looking very closely at Itachi’s mouth as, for a moment, she thought she had seen the faintest flicker of a smile on his face.

“It’s not a matter of the hardships themselves, but why he’s facing them,” came his explanation. “He was forced to grow up quickly when the choices I made resulted in the near entire extermination of our clan. Every fight he underwent since was to reach me and kill me in revenge, and when this was achieved, he came to know the truth. And from there, he fought to avenge that memory of me, and the truth that he now knew to be. But now, he’s fighting for something much different, something that might be a first for him, and against what might be his strongest opponent yet.”

Mai looked into his unnatural eyes that sat in the cracked face before her; she remembered Sasuke talking about how some ancient technique was the reason that Itachi was there at all, able to speak and move as he had when he was alive. She wondered what being in such a state must feel like.

“And what’s so different about this?” she asked quietly, but knew the answer even before Itachi said it, his dark eyes boring into hers.

“He’s fighting for you.”

Even though she knew that he was referring to them as a whole, the moment that the deep and dark voice before her spoke those four words, Mai couldn’t help but imagine that he was speaking them to her exclusively and at that thought, her knees almost buckled.

Beside her, Ty Lee stepped forward, clearly about done with having to guess at what Itachi was suggesting.

“What are you talking about?” she demanded.

Ahead of them, Itachi slowly walked forward until he passed through their group as they slowly parted to allow him to pass by. He looked out towards the city that was shrouded by that same cloud of dust, the buildings nothing short of silhouettes in the distance, lit by the orange of the sky. As he clasped his hands behind his back, Mai saw a flash of blue in the distance, bright enough to reach them.

“Since the day his Sharingan awoke, Sasuke has fought in hate and retribution. His anger has led him on that path and he never once looked back to consider that perhaps his answer was not the one he truly sought. He believed in his cause, even when the narrative so shifted to reveal that what he had fought for previously had been for naught; his focus and hate only shifted, and he was content to allow that to rule him.”

Ty Lee shook her head, the exasperated and frustrated look on her face deepening.

“So?!”

Despite the constant questioning that he was being barraged with, Itachi showed no signs of growing impatient or even seemed put off by the clear accusatory implications that were being made. He stared towards where Sasuke and Obito were surely deep in the midst of trying to pulverize the other into submission.

“You all have given him something that he’s never bothered to try and find on his own or even consider he had.”

There was a strange undercurrent that entered his voice then, and Mai didn’t know what to call it other than vaguely disdainful, something she wouldn’t have expected of someone like him.

“He has people to fight for, it’s not about an idea or an emotion or about something that’s already happened. It’s about protecting you, all of you. I’m not even sure how aware he is that he’s doing it, but everything he’s done today has not been in his own self interest as I might have assumed he would have done.”

“I think you’re putting more stock into his compassion than you ought to,” came Zuko, his arms crossed and his expression bitter. “If anything, he’s doing this to make his own way forward smoother. We’re just a byproduct.”

Even as he said it, Mai knew that Zuko didn’t believe it, though she could tell he wanted to. His words didn’t even seem to be worth replying to for Itachi who turned and looked to the group again.

“Which of you is the one who’s smitten him?”

Red blossomed on Toph’s face and Katara promptly looked towards the ground; Mai was able to keep herself from reacting beyond a quick nervous swallow and she looked down towards Azula to see her looking a combination of proud and manic. It was as though she just assumed that it couldn’t possibly be anyone but her, even as Mai looked past her to see Jin rubbing her arm and looking somewhat miserable. In truth, Mai didn’t know if Sasuke had feelings for any of them, at least feelings that were deep enough for him to accept the possibility of being with them, but it hadn’t gone unnoticed the few times she had seen them in the same room how Sasuke had looked at Jin. Mai wasn’t as oblivious as her usual silence might suggest, but she wasn’t sure that Sasuke was as oblivious in turn as he may have appeared to be. Rather like her, if he was aware of what was happening around him, he wasn’t letting on.

 _God, I wish I knew,_ she thought and clenched her teeth behind her tightly closed lips. Despite her own refusal to even consider the possibility that it could be her name that might be traveling around in Sasuke’s head, knowing for certain would put so much for her at ease.

She stopped as she realized how absurd it was for her to even be considering such a thing at a time like this. The world was literally falling apart around her and she was wondering who Sasuke liked. As she gave a quick and quiet laugh, she felt Itachi’s eyes move to her.

“You then?”

Mai wasn’t unaware of the eyes that moved her way, quick looks from Ty Lee, Zuko and Katara, angry looks from Toph and Azula and even a sad glance from Jin. But she kept her eyes on Itachi, ignoring the chills that they were giving her.

“Sorry, no, I… no, I don’t know. It could be none of us, how are you so sure that he’s into any of us?”

She remembered how Itachi had spent a good deal of time with them disguised as Sokka and tried to think to what he might have seen during that time that would hint to him that his brother was lovestruck. Itachi watched her for a long moment before turning back to the battle and infuriatingly not giving her an answer. He pulled something from the depths of his robes and retrieved something, looking down at it just as a great orange flash bloomed in the distance. Mai tried not to imagine Sasuke caught in storm of fire, the thought itself causing her to bite her tongue in an attempt to keep her imagination from playing cruel tricks on her like that.

“When Sasuke leaves this battle, he will be a different person. More so because of why he’s choosing to fight and less so because of who he’s fighting. He will have to decide for himself if what he’s doing is because of his own interests or the interests of others; make no mistake, his true test will come after Obito falls at his hand.”

Aang did a double take at that, his brow furrowing as Mai also caught on to what it was that Obito had just suggested.

“Wait,” the Avatar asked with a frown. “You say that like he’s going to beat him no matter what.”

Itachi didn’t look back as he replied, “He will. As I say, his desire to protect you all will lead him to victory; he will not lose to Obito when his motivation cannot be denied, no matter what it is that Obito throws at him.”

“This test, then?” Katara asked, sounding deeply anxious. “What is it that he’ll have to do after the fight is over?”

To this, Itachi had nothing to say and Mai had no choice but to stare at him and wonder if he was keeping it to himself because he didn’t want to acknowledge it himself, or because he didn’t want them to know.

* * *

The end of the fight came so abruptly that it was rather anticlimactic, considering how the pace of it had done nothing but steadily grow as they blasted their way through the city.

Sasuke could tell that Obito was getting desperate, less because he was tired and more likely because of the nagging part of him that kept telling him that Ozai’s ships were growing closer by the second. Sasuke knew if worse came to worse and he had no choice but to engage the airships before Obito was dealt with, he would have to contest with a whole new set of factors that he barely even had time to consider. Perhaps Obito would use his change of focus to return to his companions and force a new hostage sort of situation or maybe he would slip into Kamui and wait for Sasuke to be at his most distracted before reaching through to pull him in and essentially end the fight. For their entire fight, Sasuke had been forced to stay on his toes more so than he would have liked, purely because he knew that would be exactly what Obito would do if he were able to get too close.

Their actual back and forth had gone more positively than Sasuke would have expected. Having used whatever technique he had to bring down the wall, Obito seemed more than a little hesitant to use any jutsu that would be some kind of substantial drain, and Sasuke had been doing his best to take advantage of that. His opponent’s entire strategy seemed to revolve around doing his best to get close to Sasuke after a Chidori or Fire Release technique had been let loose, but every time, Sasuke had been ready for him and had caught Obito dead in his tracks either with his jutsu or his fists.

But deep down, Sasuke knew that time was of the essence. He knew it and Obito knew it; if left to their own devices, he knew the both of them could have gone at it for hours and hours, but neither of them had that kind of time to burn. Both of them were looking to end their contest, and quickly.

As Obito flitted behind him in another attempt to close the distance between them, Sasuke a blast of Chidori ahead of him enough to create a blinding flash that lasted just long enough to surprise Obito to the point where Sasuke was able to whirl in midair and smash his opponent with a ferocious kick that sent him skidding down a street and pulverizing the wall he crashed into. Sasuke watched the dust cloud, waiting for Obito to reappear as his mind once again began to drift.

He saw Azula’s face in all of her proud radiance as she had tried to deliver what she had surely thought would be enough to kill Obito and surely boost her approval in Sasuke’s eyes.

_Stupid. Didn’t you think that if I had been able to, I would have just finished him right there?_

But no, with Azula, there never seemed to be a good deal of thinking, at least not the kind that led to decisions ruled by common sense. Sasuke clenched his fist as he pictured her delighted expression at the idea that she was about to be able to once again have a chance to prove herself in his eyes; truly, he just needed this war to be over, then he would be able to figure out exactly what it was that he needed to do with her.

_She sees my face, she so much as touches me, she even just hears my damn name and she just completely shuts down and starts—_

And there it was. It was so completely obvious a trick that Sasuke was in disbelief that he hadn’t thought to try it yet. He’d only be able to use it once, but if it worked, then it wouldn’t matter that it was a one-time play. The fight would be over if he pulled this off.

Slowly, a vindictive grin slid onto Sasuke’s face.

_No way I manage this._

As he might have expected, Obito didn’t come at him again from the rubble of the building he had just been flung into but instead had apparently slipped around the block and was aiming to come in from a high angle; Sasuke sensed him some distance above him and tapped into his Sharingan. He would have to time it just right as if he wasn’t able to take full advantage of the brief moment for which he had Obito distracted, then his opponent would no doubt slip away into Kamui to evade his assault and thus would completely ruin the brief advantage Sasuke was hoping he was about to impose. Obito shot down from above him like a meteor on a final path towards the ground and Sasuke kept himself still before turning to face his enemy. But instead of meeting Obito’s eyes, he looked past him, allowing a feigned startled look to pass over his face. Hoping that he had at least come close to properly timing it, he opened his mouth and shouted a single word, a name that flew from his lips.

“Rin!!”

And just as he had hoped, Obito faltered in midair, his fierce expression dissolving at Sasuke’s reaction and he began to try and twist to try and look in the direction that Sasuke had faked surprise in.

_Got you._

The huge glowing skeletal hand of Susanoo reached out and snatched Obito from the air, thrusting him towards the ground. Just before he impacted there, Sasuke raced forward, sliding beneath them both and throwing up a Chidori laced strike that he flushed a significant drain of Chakra into, feeling satisfaction as the lightning connected with Obito’s spine, sending surges of electricity pounding through his body. In the moment he was stunned as the blue crackling flashed around him and the Susanoo’s hand slammed him to the ground, Sasuke threw a twister of Amaterasu flames to life to come crashing down into Obito’s staggered defenses, driving him into a torrent of pain and heat. Within the swirling black and purple, he saw another swirl around Obito’s head as he began to siphon the Amaterasu through Kamui to evade more damage and Sasuke felt his gut surge.

That was all he needed to see.

Ramping up his Amaterasu output to as high as he dared, Sasuke watched the fountain of black fire crash around Obito, flowing into his alternate dimension, not giving him a chance to slip away into the dimension himself, simply forcing him to continually redirect the Amaterasu. Moments passed and Sasuke felt his chakra draining, but knew Obito’s was doing the same.

_Just a little longer…_

Finally, when he saw a wince of pain begin to cross over Obito’s face, Sasuke cancelled his Amaterasu flow and the black fire ceased churning into the Kamui. Giving a gasp, Obito looked to Sasuke and the pair of them had the briefest moment to regard one another before Sasuke let his final attack fall. For Obito had been too focused on ceasing the brunt of the Amaterasu to notice what had been forming above him.

The two massive blades of Susanoo came crashing down onto him a moment later, the great arms wielding them falling with relentless force.

The resulting impact was enough to blow apart the surrounding area in a massive crater; carts, buildings, the street itself were all torn up by the ensuing blast. Had Sasuke not launched himself into the air and thrown the Susanoo rib cage around himself for protection, the debris launched in every direction might very well have blown his body to pieces.

As the booming crack of his strike faded away, he wasted no time in waiting for the dust to settle. With a wind release technique, he scattered the dust cloud that had settled and leapt forward, ready with Chidori, Amaterasu and Susanoo to finish off whatever Obito had left for him, his lips peeling back into a snarl as he prepared to bring what he had left to bear.

Or, at least he would have, had he not found Obito’s body lying in the center of the pit he had blown into the city street, not moving.

Sasuke reached out with his Sharingan and realized that this was indeed Obito, unconscious and real lying at his feet. Part of him was deeply suspicious that this could be a trick, or perhaps he had somehow been locked in a genjtusu, but a quick flush of Chidori being used on himself confirmed that this wasn’t happening all in his head. He winced as the shock wore of his body, but never took his eyes from Obito’s body. It was truly odd to see what had been his most monumental threat now nothing more than another life to be burned away lying at his feet. He drew up his Amaterasu and looked down towards Obito’s chest, ready to stifle any chance he would have of threatening Sasuke, or anyone he cared about, ever again.

He stood there for over a minute, unable to go through with his conceived action.

Closing his eyes, Sasuke grit his teeth angrily. This should not have been some kind of difficult decision after everything they had been through.

_He was ready to hurt Jin, even kill her, and he would do the same to Toph, Azula or anybody else he could use to get at me. If he walks away from this, there’s no knowing if I could stop him again._

But still, the black fire wouldn’t burn and he could do nothing more than look down, feeling more helpless than he ever had.

Because Sasuke knew what this was. Had their positions been reversed, who’s to say he wouldn’t have been just as efficiently ruthless? He had been granted the grace of being able to travel with a group of people who had been able to reveal much to him about themselves, their world and even Sasuke himself. Obito had been drawn down a different road, one that told him the only way he could return home was to crush all those who opposed Ozai, Sasuke included.

But it wasn’t really getting home Obito was after, was it?

_Rin. That’s what he’s after. Why he’s doing this._

The absolute desire to return to the one person who he felt gave his life meaning was what fueled him on, a person that he didn’t even know was still alive. Considering that was rather tragic in and of itself, but Sasuke tried to picture how he would have reacted in a similar situation. Would he have acted differently and tried to reach some sort of compromise and do what he could to spare the lives of the world’s inhabitants, so in danger they were from the presence of people like him?

Sasuke smiled coldly. No, he wouldn’t have. He would have blown through that wall the same way, obliterating anyone who stood between him and his goal, men, women and children alike. They were in his way, and he had no desire to waste time trying to empathize and act accordingly to their wellbeing as well.

But Sasuke had met the Avatar and his companions before arriving in Ba Sing Se. He had listened to Sokka’s stupid puns, clashed with Katara, had long talks with Aang, and grown closer to many of them, something that he knew was a weakness that could be exploited.

It already had been.

Even still though, as he looked down at Obito, knowing what he was capable of, it was all Sasuke could do to reach down, hoist the unconscious body of his enemy over his shoulder and dash back towards the wall, leaving a city half torn asunder behind him.

* * *

“Prince Zuko!!”

At the voice of Iroh coming through the dusty haze that had settled over the city, Toph was relieved to finally have something else to focus on other than Sasuke’s brother’s cryptic words or thinking about Sasuke himself. Imagining what was happening in the distance was torturous to an awful point and she had been doing her best to keep herself from shaking again. So when she felt the footsteps of Iroh and two others drawing closer, she gladly turned her attention to them, unable to imagine that they could be bearing any news that was more stressful to her mind than thinking about Sasuke.

“Over here, uncle!!” Zuko called back and the three sets of steps drew nearer. Toph thought she recognized the heavy, stern steps of General Gokan, but the third set she wasn’t sure of. They felt like those of a very slender person, likely a woman.

Iroh sounded like he was slightly out of breath as he neared them enough to speak. Zuko moved forward and hugged him, but Iroh spared very little time on further pleasantries than responding to the embrace.

“Where’s Sasuke?” he practically demanded.

“Fighting Obito,” Katara replied, her voice tight and almost clipped. Toph could tell by the shifting of weight between her two feet that Katara was potentially just as stressed about the whole situation. “He was able to trap him, but thanks to the princess here, Sasuke had to fight him head on and the fight took them deep into the city, or as much as we can tell as that was the last we’ve seen of them.”

Falling into silence for a good long while, Iroh finally asked, “Are you all alright?”

“We’re fine,” Azula snapped; Toph realized how odd it was that she hadn’t fired up immediately when Katara had made her passive aggressive jab just a moment ago, a testament to how preoccupied she had been, though now, she seemed all too eager to pick a fight. “Though I’d be much better off going into the city and helping Sasuke rather than sitting here like a bunch of useless commoners.”

“You heard what Itachi said,” Mai growled, though she sounded none too happy about their current predicament either. “We stay here and don’t get in the way.”

Azula gave a half-manic laugh. “Please, Mai, I know what you’re thinking. You want to be at his side as well as I. You’re really going to let this weirdo tell you what to do just because he—”

She cut off quickly and Toph could feel her moving her feet around rapidly as though spinning back and forth.

“Where’d he go?” Azula demanded angrily and as Toph felt everyone else begin to look around, she realized that she hadn’t so much as noticed the weight of Itachi’s feet leave their company.

 _Had I ever sensed his touch at all?_ Toph thought in confusion. She remembered what Sasuke had said about his brother being dead, only revived by some strange sort of spell; could his half-life had been why she had completely missed his presence beyond his voice.

“Who are we talking about?” Iroh asked and Aang answered.

“Sasuke’s brother was here! He was with us just a moment ago, where did he go?!”

Iroh’s tone darkened significantly as he asked, “Wait. Sasuke’s brother?”

“He was just here telling us not to interfere with Sasuke and Obito’s fight,” Sokka said, sounding nervous. Toph knew that he got that way whenever Itachi was mentioned and it was surely something that had been amplified with him being around; he had after all knocked out Sokka and posed as him for a several day period. “And now somehow, he just disappeared.”

“There’s more than two of them?” came an unfamiliar voice, that of a woman, high and focused. Toph tried to remember if she had ever heard a voice quite like that but when Zuko spoke, the name he put forth was not one that Toph was at all familiar with.

“Wait… Admiral Ixa?”

“It’s General Ixa actually now, Prince Zuko,” the woman said, though her tone sounded almost vaguely playful as she corrected him. “It’s good to see you alive and well.”

Azula’s voice came through deeply suspicious and angry as she said quietly, “What are you doing here?”

Gokan spoke up then, his low cadence practically making the earth shake beneath Toph’s feet.

“She’s been our spy in the Fire Nation for a little over a year now. Been able to pass us some very useful information, she’s how we knew the invasion was coming from the west and how we knew relatively how many forces we’d be seeing.”

His practically praising tone fell away into one more worried then, however; it was strange hearing Gokan sound that way, almost defeated.

“Though now, I don’t know all what can be done by way of information and resources. We may very well be on our last legs.”

This foreboding sentence caused Toph to start biting the inside of her mouth anxiously. She was almost angry when Suki’s voice sounded behind her; Toph wasn’t sure she wanted to know what was eating at the general.

“What’s happened?”

Ixa spoke quickly and deliberately, sounding just as worried as Iroh had just moments before.

“I was dismissed from the Fire Lord’s chambers when his two chief scribes entered for a conference with him. I hung back and listened in on what they had to say, and I believe this is more of a damning thing than even these superhumans we’ve seen in action today.”

Zuko stepped up in front of her, seeming just able to keep himself from yelling.

“What’s happened??”

Before she explained, Ixa gave a long sigh.

“They spoke of a ritual, something that Ozai tried that he believed hadn’t worked. But supposedly based on their analysis of Sozin’s Comet’s pathing, it may very well have worked after all.”

Toph remembered the talking of some kind of ritual amongst their group, remembering how it had required Azula as a sacrifice.

“But Azula’s alive, how is that possible?” Ty Lee asked somewhat frantically.

“I don’t know,” Ixa said. “But that’s besides the point I think now. According to the chief scribes, Sozin’s Comet has deviated from its path past our skies and has fallen into an orbit around our planet. Rather like the moon it will remain encircling us for well into the foreseeable future.”

This was well enough to stun everyone into silence. No one spoke for a moment until Sokka leaned against what must have been some piece of debris and slid down it to sit on the ground, his weight feeling almost as defeated as his voice sounded.

“So, firebenders rule the world forever then. Outstanding.”

“That can’t be… that _can’t_ be…” Aang’s voice was almost such that he had fallen into a whisper; his voice hurt Toph to even hear, as his almost always upbeat and positive personality had become overrun by a pure aura of defeat. It was one thing to hear Katara or Sokka dip into angry or beaten tones, but finally hearing Aang’s constant optimism finally come crashing down was enough to break her heart.

No one seemed to have anything to say period beyond that, and Toph could only imagine the blankly stunned faces of everyone as they pondered what exactly this would mean for the world. She wondered how Azula, Zuko and Iroh felt about this, this Ixa too if she was a bender; would they be silently pleased that this was something that would elevate them above all other benders? That if the war was won, they would take over in Ozai’s stead and lead the Fire Nation to dominance in a new sense.

She shook her head. Iroh and Zuko would never take that path, this was just her imagination running away with her. Azula though… she wouldn’t have been surprised if the princess wasn’t fighting back a smile.

It was Mai who spoke first after this long lull of silence, her voice one again that typical dulled tone that Toph had known her for, a change compared to what had been a lighter, almost perky inflection that had taken over whenever…

_Whenever Sasuke was around._

“So, what now? We give up?”

It was difficult to tell if she was suggesting this seriously or if she was throwing it as a jab at anyone who was considering the day lost; with Mai, it was often hard to tell what implications she was throwing into her words.

But the response she got was not what Toph imagined anyone expected, especially not her.

“Don’t tell me everyone’s quitting, after all the garbage I just went through.”

Just as with Itachi, Toph didn’t even notice the change in the weight around her, so caught up as she was in her own emotions. But as soon as Sasuke’s low, mellow voice slipped into her ears, Toph’s breath caught in her throat and she whirled at the familiar presence walking up behind them.

She started to hear the voices of Sokka, Aang and Azula all start to speak up to welcome him back before there was a sharp reaction in the movements of everyone around her. Toph noticed at the same time that there was a significant weight to Sasuke, as though he had doubled in size since she had last seen him. But when there came the sound of something being dumped softly on the ground, she was able to put two and two together relatively quickly.

It was when Ty Lee spoke that Toph’s suspicion was confirmed.

“Is he… dead?”

Sasuke gave a loud sigh. “No, not quite. He gave me quite a run, but wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.”

Despite his arrogant words, Toph was able to piece together more than what they suggested; there was a great tiredness in his voice, and perhaps some pain as well and she wondered if he had been injured and was hiding it. Katara seemed to have thought something similar as she asked in what was almost a demand.

“Are you hurt?”

Sasuke replied maybe a little too quickly to assume that he was telling the whole truth.

“No. Just a little drained is all, been a long day.”

Iroh gently walked over, his pace a gentle and almost sad shuffle, a sharp contrast to the still rigid and alert weights of everyone else. When he reached near enough to Sasuke and what must have been the unconscious body of Obito, he sighed.

“I wish there was something I could have said to him, something I could have done to keep him from going down this path. I just never would have thought… in our days of travel, I never saw any sign that he was capable of such wanton destruction.”

“Yeah?” Sasuke asked, flat and a little sarcastic. “What exactly about his character struck you as a virtuous and noble person?”

Toph could practically see the frown on Iroh’s face as he replied, sounding reproachful of Sasuke’s attitude and judgement. “The man I traveled with was not this sort of cruel. One of the first things I saw him do was defend a woman and her child from being robbed by a group of Earth Nation soldiers. We shared many a pleasant conversation day after day, was always conscious of my wellbeing, and when he and myself encountered the general here, then captain, he did what he could to protect me rather than escape himself.”

The person to respond to this wasn’t Sasuke however, but Azula, her tone a venomous sneer; by the feel of things, she had been released and was standing on her own in recent minutes, and Toph wondered if that had been all too wise a decision.

“People lie, uncle, I’m sorry that no one told you that. He saw a chance to have someone to guide him and cook him some free meals and he took advantage of it.”

“I suppose you’d know all about being a completely compulsive liar, ‘Zula,” snapped Ty Lee, her voice a surprising addition in both its airing and its tone.

Azula, no doubt rounding on Ty Lee, lowered her voice to a threatening softness. “You really want to do this now, Ty Lee? I have no doubt that you of all people may have some grievances to air, but I’ll remind you that it’s been quite a while since—”

“Enough,” Sasuke said, sounding more tired now than anything. Seemingly ever willful to his command, Azula dutifully fell into silence and took a step nearer to him. Toph wanted to lunge forward and stand between them both, but kept herself in check. That would be more needless drama that they didn’t need just then.

Thankfully, General Ixa spoke up, changing the subject as she did. “You’re… the one, aren’t you? The one who fought down the Fire Lord’s entire army? With that giant snake? And that lightning?”

Iroh allowed himself to make the introduction. “Ixa, this is Sasuke. Sasuke, this is…”

“The spy, yeah,” Sasuke finished for him. “I figured.”

“How much did you hear?” asked Gokan.

“Nothing, really,” Sasuke said. “I just got in earshot of Mai suggesting that we throw in the towel, so I imagine that something bad must have happened.”

“I wasn’t… that was a joke,” Mai said almost frantically and Sasuke made a gentle noise of amusement.

“I know, I’m just teasing,” he said and despite herself, Toph felt her ears grow hot as she felt the smallest tremble from Mai.

“Itachi was here,” Suki said and Toph felt Sasuke practically leap where he stood as his voice leapt a level.

“Where did he go?! What did he say?!” he nearly shouted, and Toph felt him spinning about where he stood, no doubt trying to locate his brother as though he might be hiding behind some debris somewhere.

“We’re not sure,” she replied, keeping her voice very level, most likely to try and keep Sasuke calm. “He was being kind of weird though, just kind of said some stuff about not being able to interfere in your fight because of this and that, something about testing your bloodline or will, or whatever.”

“What?” Sasuke said in reply, sounding nothing short of bemused at what his brother had shown up with.

Suki made a noise that sounded like she was shrugging. “Not sure what his deal was. Don’t know what it was that made him not want to help you, but I’m… I’m sure he had his reasons. When he gets back, you can—”

“Forget it,” Sasuke snapped. “Clearly I’m not worth the time. Let’s just keep focused on what’s in front of us, Itachi wants to play hide and seek, that’s up to him.”

Listening to his words, Toph was surprised to hear Sasuke suddenly sound so unhinged. He wasn’t yelling, or even really raising his voice, but there was a tremble in his words; Itachi’s aloofness clearly was something that hurt him. No one decided they wanted to try and insert themselves in between Sasuke and his clearly angry feelings towards his brother and with that, he seemed content to move on.

“So, what’s the actual deal?” he asked, turning attention back to the situation at hand. “I just took out what I thought would be the biggest threat I’d have to deal with today, but looking at all your faces, there’s another problem at hand, is there?”

Toph waited in silence as she pictured in her mind’s eye everyone present looking at each other anxiously, no doubt not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. Sokka finally seemed like he was the one least nervous about breaking the news and said in an almost carefree tone, no doubt to try and alleviate some of the tension present,

“Ozai worked some black magic and based on what we’ve learned, Sozin’s Comet is not just making a pass of our world, it’s going to be hanging around for a good while, orbiting us like the sun and making it so firebenders are easily the most powerful force on this planet for a lot longer than one day.”

Following this up was Aang who, once again, spoke with a quiet and defeated voice that Toph hated hearing out of him, even more so when paired with the words he almost bitterly threw out.

“You may have won the battle, Sasuke, but we may have lost the war.”

Silence fell again and the only movement Toph felt was from Sasuke who turned slowly and took a couple steps away from the group. Somehow, she could tell that he was looking up towards the sky where he could surely see the burn of Sozin’s Comet, whether it be fully visible, blazing angrily down at them all, or obscured by the clouds. One way or another, it was there though, as it soared overhead, passively dealing what may very well have been the final blow to the resistance against the Fire Nation.

Toph allowed herself to consider what very well might happen next. Ozai would be able to lay waste to as much of Ba Sing Se as he was able, he would even be able to pull back and reorganize his forces if he wanted, now that there was no time limit on how long he could take advantage of the comet. Eventually, the city would be burnt out and he would impose his rule within once again, and from there, he could move onto Omashu and Toph’s native country. The Earth Nation would fall and then the Water, and Fire would rule over all.

She allowed herself then to think of what might become of their group when the Fire Nation took over. Maybe they could still run and perhaps try and figure a way around what Toph rather imagined might be a completely insurmountable problem. If captured, she imagined Aang would either be locked away in a deep, dark pit for the rest of his life, if not killed outright. Ozai would take no chances with him, nor likely would he with his own family. Azula might avoid the death sentence, but Zuko and Iroh would no doubt be strung up as traitors and scapegoats; Katara, Suki, Sokka, Mai, Ty Lee and Toph herself would probably be interrogated for information before likely being killed under the same grounds, traitors to the wellbeing of the world or some crap in that vein.

In essence, there could be very little hope going forward, and Toph found that she didn’t even feel like crying, too tired and defeated she felt. What could be done, even with Sasuke’s extraodirinary power, to stave off an entire people whose abilities had just been given a devastatingly and permanent increase? He couldn’t hold them all off forever and eventually he too would be—

“A long while, huh?”

Sasuke’s voice broke through her mental despair with all the clarity of glacial mountain water.

“We can’t ask you to go in on this for us, Sasuke,” came Mai’s voice, low and pained. “I can tell that you’re deflecting how worn out you are, and if you go in on the airships now, Ozai is going to see it coming.”

Azula exploded before Sasuke could so much as offer any sort of reply.

“Don’t underestimate him!! Are you really daring to question his power after what he’s accomplished today?!”

“Shut up, Azula,” Mai said, sounding more tired than angry. “He doesn’t want to hear you trying to flatter him right now.”

Immediately, Azula started to sputter indignantly, but she was drowned out as discussions broke out quickly amongst the group; Iroh and Ixa began trying to air ideas on how they might be able to turn the day around, despite the fact that Ozai had essentially won no matter what was done about his present forces. Katara, Aang, Jin, and Zuko tried to interject themselves into the conversation, but even with the three of them adding their own thoughts, Toph heard nothing but desperate gambits and hopeless endeavors. Sokka approached Gokan and asked how feasible it was to force the city’s remaining military manpower to work on evacuation. Azula fell silent and paced away a little, and Toph was sure that she was thinking of how best to spin the situation to her advantage, more than it already was. Though it struck her as mildly satisfying that Suki was very subtly tailing just behind her.

Mai and Ty Lee did nothing more than quietly approach one another a distance away and Toph heard some quietly exchanged words that were followed by a stifled sob from Ty Lee before Mai pulled her into a hug. And as she sensed them embracing one another, being perhaps the only two people there truly acknowledging the desperation of the situation, Toph couldn’t take it anymore.

Swallowing down bile, she turned and walked quickly away to put herself a dozen yards away behind a wall of rubble, leaning against it as she tried to control her breathing.

_This is it._

Just thinking those three words was almost cathartic; just understanding the true gravity of the information that spy had just delivered seemed to grant some clarity in Toph’s mind, even as the reality of it pushed her deeper into despair.

There was no way that Azula wouldn’t fall back into league with her father and take proper action against everyone who she felt had wronged her. She would have Sasuke spared, and take Toph, Jin, Mai and whoever else she believed had wronged her by coming between them, putting them in a hole somewhere and torture them for as long as it pleased her. And as for Ozai, he would storm over the entire world with the aid of Sozin’s Comet; he could take all the time he wanted since on bender on earth, not even Aang, would be ablet to stand up to him.

Her heart started to pound with an awful wrenching feeling. She jammed her eyes shut and hugged herself, trying to keep herself somewhat calm. Nothing seemed to quite be working as she felt her lower lip trembling; after what they now knew, what could she possibly do to keep herself from falling into complete—

“Hey. You okay?”

In her misery, Toph hadn’t even felt Sasuke approach, though she imagined part of it might have been due to his uncanny ability to move around with complete stealth. She jumped at his voice and sudden feeling on the ground just next to her.

“No, I… well, it’s just… I don’t…”

She felt herself starting to fall apart immediately.

_No, not in front of him, he’s seen you like this too damn often. Are you as weak as Azula says you are? Are you really about to show him that?_

Sniffing and wiping an arm across her face, Toph shook her head.

“Just wasn’t ready for this to be it is all, I guess.”

At this, Sasuke said nothing and Toph did her best to keep herself from starting to cry; she didn’t want this to be the last day she spent with him. A crazy thought flashed through her head in which all she wanted to do was ask Sasuke to take her away from the city, away from any of the Nations, even to his own world. Away from this ugly war, away from all this hate and death.

“Hey, Toph?”

Sasuke’s inquiry caused her to perk her head up, unable to keep a single tear from sliding down her cheek.

“Yeah?”

Before he replied, Sasuke reached out and put a hand against the side of her face; she was surprised at how tender his touch was and at the warmth of his hand, she felt her legs tremble.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

She could practically feel him smiling.

“Eveyrthing’s going to be fine,” he said and she choked back a sob.

“How can you… how can you _say_ that? Mai’s right, isn’t she? You’re spent! You took on Ozai’s entire army and just had to throw down against Obito… you’re hurt, I know it. We can’t… you can’t do anything without putting yourself in harm’s way! Whether it’s Ozai, or his airships, or the rest of his army, it’s not something you can—”

“I’m not going to fight any of them.”

Toph reached out and squeezed his wrist.

“What then? Are you…”

_Are you going to take me away from here?_

Sasuke made a sound that could have been a quiet chuckle.

“I’m afraid I probably shouldn’t tell you. Might piss you off.”

He brushed his thumb along her cheek and Toph felt herself shiver as he said quietly, “I need you to promise me something though, Toph.”

She had to force herself to push her voice higher than a whisper.

“Anything.”

Sasuke waited a beat too long and she knew what he was about to say was not something he particularly wanted to.

“I don’t… honestly know what’s about to happen, but I just need you to promise me stay safe. No matter how this goes, I need to know you’re going to take care of yourself.”

A fresh dread, a truly awful fear unlike anything that had previously been plaguing her began to drip inside Toph’s gut. What Sasuke was suggesting wasn’t lost on her and she immediately began to slowly shake her head.

“No. Stop.”

It was all she could to deny him, since she truly had no idea what it was he was talking about.

He pulled his hand away and she gave a quiet moan, pulling at his arm.

“Wait, don’t go, what are you—”

This was as far as she got before she was silenced by the touch of his lips against her forehead.

“I’m sorry,” was all he said before he turned and left her standing there, utterly paralyzed by his action.

* * *

Sasuke walked quickly away from Toph, shaking away the intimacy of the moment and clearing his throat as he did. He was genuinely surprised at what he had just done and said, but he knew that Toph had a way of getting past his usual mental block of compassion and openness. Kissing her on the forehead had been as much a way to keep her at bay as it had been a show of affection.

_Right?_

He grit his teeth and smiled. That really was some crazy power she had over him.

His mind went to Itachi then and his smile pulled down at its corners immediately.

_What are you doing, brother?_

Suki had said that he had indicated that he wasn’t interfering because this was some kind of test, or something similar and Sasuke couldn’t imagine a worse time for him to be testing his brother. But Itachi or not, he had already made up his mind on how to proceed. He just hoped it would be enough to make his brother proud.

As he came around the giant chunk of wall Toph had put herself behind, he saw everyone standing before him, all in different stages of emotional vulnerability. There was Ixa, Gokan and Iroh, all clearly doing a better job at hiding their gloom than anyone else, but looking close enough, Sasuke could see the three battle-hardened adults doing their best to keep their cool before the cluster of younger, more naïve and frightened people before them.

Suki and Katara looked the most in control of themselves, still looking fiercely determined, even despite the odds before them. Sokka looked distant as though he were starting to picture a world where the Fire Nation actually came out on top, looking similar to Zuko who just seemed to look more miserable on top of that. Sasuke wondered what he was thinking about his father right about then. Aang was still talking with Iroh, but his face was all but resigned; Sasuke imagined that when acceptance finally came, he would probably give himself up to the Fire Lord anyway, in some vain attempt to spare the lives of others. It would be an utterly wasted gesture, but Sasuke wasn’t going to give him a chance to try it.

Jin was a distance away from anyone else, arms wrapped around herself and looking severely alone and still hurt. It pained Sasuke to imagine not saying anything else to her before he went into action, but he supposed she would perhaps understand him a little better after this anyway, regardless of if they ever got a chance to speak again. Mai and Ty Lee had arms around each other still, both their cheeks wet as they embraced silently.

 _They’ve given up,_ Sasuke thought, but couldn’t honestly hold it against them, not after what they now knew.

Azula was looking towards the clouded sky, behind which there was a blur of sick yellow light. Sasuke knew what it was, and he knew Azula did too as he looked at her hungry face. She seemed completely oblivious to him or anyone else, lost in some fantasy no doubt.

_What are you thinking about, Azula? What are you wishing for behind those eyes?_

Had he had the time and the energy, he might have considered probing to see, but time was of the essence with the Ozai’s ships moving in, and Sasuke knew that he was going to need every ounce of his remaining energy to try and pull this last desperate maneuver off. Mai had been right, he was deeply tired out and every part of his body ached. He had exerted so much energy already, but the day still required more of him.

He found it odd how content he was with giving it.

_Am I really about to do this?_

As he approached, Iroh saw him first and spoke gently as he approached.

“I think I ought to take this chance to thank you, Sasuke.”

He looked at Obito’s motionless form sadly, but looked back to Sasuke with a small smile.

“No mater how this day ends, you gave so much of yourself for this cause. I know you didn’t need to; you could have gone about this a whole different way, but you chose to handle it like this to protect these people.”

Sasuke felt his face flush slightly as the eyes of everyone moved to him. He didn’t meet any of their gazes other than Iroh’s. Any one of their faces, might have been enough for him to change his mind; Toph’s nearly had been on her own.

“You sound like you’ve conceded,” he instead remarked and Iroh shook his head.

“I don’t know I’ll ever be able to do that… but this may not be something we can win, Sasuke. You’ve given us our best odds, but even with all you’ve done, we still face an army permanently enhanced by the power of a celestial body.”

He gave a gentle shrug.

“I’ll fight till the end, but realistically… I don’t know what can be done.”

Sasuke could feel the anguish all around him, emanating through all his companions, people he might have been able to call his friends.

“It’s okay, Iroh. I do.”

He cracked his knuckles and looked down at the ground as he spoke.

“Be ready to meet the army. They won’t be ready for this, and you can catch them off guard. It should happen within a minute.”

He felt the mood shift and risked a glance to his side. There was Katara, eyes alive and suspicious, Mai, looking suitably perplexed, and Jin, eyes widening as she considered his meaning. He looked last at Azula and smiled as he saw the smirk wipe itself from her face.

“What are you going to do?” she snapped, and Sasuke took some satisfaction in replying.

“What I should have done to start.”

Not able to stand another moment being surrounded by them all and the emotions he felt from being there with them, he kicked off from the ground as hard as he could, his chakra propelling him upwards as fast as a shot fired from the barrel of a cannon. He tried not to think about the fact that he had heard Toph’s voice, crying out desperately to him just as he launched himself into the sky, shaken from her emotions and desperate not to see him leave.

As he passed the height of where the wall had reached to, the glowing radiance of his Susanoo whirled to life around him, as he soared up higher. It really was stupid, he thought, that he hadn’t thought to do something like this to start.

He angled himself then, not towards the line of airships surging closer to the city, not towards the army that had regrouped and marched onward, not even towards where he could use his Sharingan to piece out where Ozai was. He turned himself and bore down relentlessly towards the clouds above, towards that glow that Azula had been so fixated on.

_I don’t know if it’s possible to get mad at a lifeless thing, but here I am… I’m pretty sick of you._

And Sasuke locked his sights on Sozin’s Comet, preparing to give all of himself and to turn the tide. 


	28. Chapter 28

** Chapter 28: The Battle of Ba Sing Se – Part 3 **

When Obito opened his eyes, his first thought was surprise that he even opened them at all. After his combat with Sasuke had ended in staggering and humiliating defeat, he had been sure in that last moment before he blacked out that Sasuke would take advantage of his loss and finish him then and there. But now here he was, alive and conscious, though where he now found himself put him as at much as anything could.

His surroundings were completely white, a pure clean blankness that stretched all around him. As he staggered to his feet, he looked down to see that he was just as he had been at the moment of his defeat, his clothes and body battered and torn, though he felt no pain or discomfort from the engagement he had just been a part of. As far as he could tell, he was the only smudge of color in this entire stretching expanse of pure white.

It was when he started wondering if perhaps he really was dead, that he heard a voice behind him.

“I missed you, Obito.”

He whirled at the words uttered just behind him, attempting to draw chakra to life in case the person who had just deemed it appropriate to sneak up behind him required being dealt with. But as he turned, two things became very apparent to him: firstly, he had no ability to draw chakra, rather as though his entire form had lost the ability to harness and conduct it, therefore rendering any desire he might have had to whip up any jutsu hopeless.

But the second realization outweighed the first so badly, it dissipated from his mind as quickly as anything could. For as he looked into the eyes of the young woman before him, he could do nothing more than gape, feeling his body grow numb with shock.

“Rin…”

Her name was the purest sound his lips ever could have uttered and as she smiled at him, he felt his will melt.

“I’ve been waiting for a chance to talk to you,” she said, her voice soft and chipper. “I wish I could have before you joined forces with that Fire Lord and did what you did, but I suppose I should be happy I got this chance at all.”

It wasn’t lost on Obito that despite her apparent happiness to see him, there had been a tinge of disappointment in her voice as she reminded him of his actions, and he immediately began to sputter as he took a step closer to her.

“I did that all because I had to! It was the only way to get back to you, to see you again, and—”

Though she kept smiling, her eyes reflected a deep sadness that cut him to the core. “The only way? That’s not even remotely true and I know you don’t believe that.”

He cut off and found he could do nothing more than swallow and stare into her eyes. She was right, of course she was right; he had done all that for a reason just as selfish as sacrificing the lives of who knew just how many in order to see her again. He had done it even partially so because of the thrill it gave him, the sick pleasure that had emanated through his body at the feeling of violence. But as he looked at Rin, the memory of that was just as much lost on him as the memory of his own world. It was there, he knew it to be real, but for the life of him, he couldn’t imagine what it had felt like.

How could he have been so selfish?

“I know,” he said despairingly, looking towards the white beneath his feet, feeling unable to even look into her eyes. “I know there’s something horribly wrong with me, wrong with my people. This… enjoyment of carnage, but Rin!”

Now he looked up, desperate that she at least understand this. “What I did, even if I ignored the other paths I could have taken, I did this all to get back to you! None of this would have come up if I hadn’t wanted so badly just to… see you again.”

Feeling somewhat nervous then, he flicked his eyes around him to gaze at their pearlescent surroundings.

“Am I… dead?”

Rin shook her head at his query.

“Nope. You’re very much alive.”

This sent a rush of joy like he never thought he could feel pouring through his form. “Then Itachi was lying! If I’m alive, then so are you, wherever we are!”

Her reaction reflected none of the joy he felt however and she too looked down just as he had.

“Obito…”

As she murmured his name, it was the warmest embrace on his soul that he could have imagined, but looking at her sad expression, he knew deep down that what she was about to say was about to shatter his whole being.

“He wasn’t lying.”

It did exactly that and he let out a moan as he slumped to his knees.

“No…” he muttered. “You _can’t_ be…”

“You know I am,” she said, once again sounding more upbeat for whatever reason. “You knew it all along, just the same way you remembered all your memories. You just chose to ignore this one because of what it might do to you.”

Obito shook his head firmly. “I don’t want to live in world where you’re not by my side.”

Slowly, she got on her knees as well to return to eye level with him. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder and at the pure feeling that swept through him at her touch, he looked up to her.

“I’ve always been by your side, Obito. You just weren’t willing to take things as they were. You wanted everything to be just the way you wanted it, just how you pictured it in your head. You wanted to see Kakashi and I at your left and right, sticking with you through everything. But even when we aren’t there, we’re in here, you know.”

Her hand moved down to place itself on his chest and he took her wrist, squeezing it. In a moment that was the hardest thing he had ever remembered having to do, he let himself remember. He remembered the day he had left the cave, how he had raced through the rain, finding Kakashi and Rin and seeing… seeing that horrible loss. That horrible tear that had left him crippled, and had worked at his very being every day of his life, even when he didn’t know it.

Obito waited for the agony to overwhelm him, but somehow, he felt… calm. That was all, not necessarily happy or content, but not in pain or saddened either. He looked into Rin’s eyes and she nodded at him with another beautiful smile.

“That’s better, isn’t it?”

Affection of enormous magnitude floated through his chest and he gripped her wrist tighter.

“Yes, but… what’s left for me now? What can I do now? Where am I, really?”

She gave a short, soft laugh then, a tinkling and joyous sound.

“Well, you’re lying on some dirt among the rubble of the wall you just knocked over. You’re unconscious and a little beat up, I can see. The Fire Lord’s getting closer, and everyone standing around you thinks you’re nothing short of as dastardly a villain as he is.”

Her words were spoken with that same upbeat attitude, but at the reality and reminder of them, Obito grimaced. “They’ve got good reason to think that.”

“You’re no villain, Obito, you know that.”

He grit his teeth and ground his fingers into his temples.

“I remember where I come from, Rin. I remember what I planned to do. In our world, I’ve allied myself with Madara and am working to force the world into a state of perfection by way of mental shackling, the Infinite Tsukuyomi. I was willing to do anything to see you again, to create a world where you’re alive.”

She shook her head sadly.

“But I wouldn’t be real.”

Obito bowed his head. “I know that. But I was willing to do all that for my own happiness, to live in that world of ignorance.”

He looked down at his hands and stared at them, knowing now what hell he had wrought on a world not his own by consequence of his selfishness.

“And I just killed who knows how many people in an effort to expedite my own agenda. And I was willing to hurt more, to kill more.”

In that moment, he felt quite so like he’d rather be anyone else.

“I’m not a good person, Rin, I know that.”

She tilted her head from side to side, clearly pondering something.

“So, what’s changed?” she asked. “I can hear it in your voice: if you went back today, you don’t know if you’d follow through with that plan. What’s happened here in a matter of days that’s changed your mind on a plan that you’ve spent years putting together.”

All those years in the cave being trained with no one but the company of Madara and Zetsu, all those years of ripping his way through the ninja world, blinding himself to the pain of others as he forged ahead for his dream. He had spent years building up his immunity to compassion, and yet in a matter of days undercover, something had happened.

There was a fleeting memory that slipped through Obito’s mind, but it wasn’t one of his former team, his village, anything that he remembered from his own world. He was pretending to be someone else, sitting around a campfire and watching Sasuke fight down a smile at the antics of Toph and Ty Lee; behind them, Azula sulked in the background while Mai sat close by, fighting down a smile of her own as Katara tried to snap the two other girls into behaving. Aang and Sokka were letting out boisterous laughter as Zuko and Suki chuckled at the sight and all Obito could do was think to how, despite how much he had told himself that they were of no importance to him, he remembered their names, each and every one. They were nothing to him, and yet they were everything making his decision now.

When he spoke again, his voice was thick and quiet.

“In this world or my own… I have no right. No right at all to force a world of my own onto others.”

This was all he was able to say and he let silence fall between them, wondering what exactly it was that Rin thought of that.

After a moment, Rin took his hands and stood, pulling him up as well. As they looked at one another, she gave him a deep nod and he looked at her now fully radiant smile and knew she understood.

“You asked me what’s left for you to do, and I think you know what that is.”

She looked upwards as though she could see into the world that Obito had assisted in making a complete mess of.

“There’s someone else that was pulled into this war, this violence and this hatred just as you were, and just like you, he’s fighting as hard as he possibly can to protect the people he cares about, to see them safe and sound. But even with all the power he has, there’s not quite enough that he has to make it through. I’m afraid I don’t even know what his plan is, what it could be that he thinks he needs to do to make everything work out.”

Rin intertwined her fingers with his and squeezed gently. “You need to go to him. Help him through this day, however it is you can. Or if you can’t help him, help what he wants. Do what you can to make things right.”

Obito looked down at her hands that embraced his, wishing he never had to let her go.

“I don’t even know what’s right and wrong in this world, who’s truly good and evil. What’s right to do, and what’s not, not anymore.”

Cocking her head back and forth, Rin considered this for a moment before replying, “Maybe not, but somehow, I imagine ending this war might be a good place to start.”

Obito looked down at her as the white around him began to grow brighter and he knew what was happening even without being told. It was a feeling, an understanding that his time here with the person he had been willing to do anything and everything for was coming to an end. Even as her face began to fade before his eyes, he felt that same calm keeping him rooted and grounded. She was right and he would act on that, more happily than anything he had done before.

“One more thing,” he managed even as this strange plane began to disappear. “Please tell me… tell me this has been real.”

Her smiled widened and she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his cheek, a last action that caused tears to finally leak down Obito’s face.

“Yeah, it’s been real, you big dummy. Now get back out there, I’ll be watching.”

* * *

Azula felt nothing short of complete hopelessness and misery press their way on her mind as she stared up at the purple form of Sasuke growing further and further away above her before disappearing behind the clouds. He had left her again, that made it just how many times now? She couldn’t be angry at him, not when she knew he was acting in the interest of protecting her, but as his form never seemed to start to head towards her father and his forces, she felt another layer of anxiety slip its way into her mind.

_Where is he going?_

She looked around at everyone who stood around her, and saw them all looking up in similar awe and emotion, all except for Toph who had her face turned towards the ground as tears rolled silently down her face.

“You…” Azula growled and as she felt eyes move to her, she closed the distance between her and the little rotten earthbender.

“What did he tell you?” she seethed down at Toph. She waited for her to tighten her face up with anger and defensiveness, no doubt to then begin to arguing back with the same venom that Azula felt, but Toph only shook her head and hiccupped as she wiped her face on her sleeve. Azula waited only a moment or so after that ensuing silence before reaching down and seizing her by the collar of her shirt, giving her a violent shake. Even as Suki and Ty Lee were on her in an instant, grabbing her under the arms and pulling her away, she let loose,

“You stupid little girl, what did he tell you?! Tell me, or so help you, I will—”

“Azula, stop it!!” These words came from Aang who came storming in front of her, his large eyes furious and worried; when Azula said nothing more, he turned to Toph who had hardly seemed to react at Azula’s violent touch.

“Toph… where’s he going?”

At this, the earthbender gave a short, wet laugh and jerked her chin towards the sky. “Can’t you guess? He said he wasn’t going after Ozai, or his ships, or his army. I think there’s really only one thing he could focus on then, yeah?”

As what Toph was suggesting came fully into focus for Azula, she felt herself suddenly freeze at the implication.

_No. That’s impossible._

Almost as though he had read her mind, Katara’s obnoxious brother said in a tone full of disbelief.

“No way… like, I know he’s strong, but you’re not really suggesting… you’re not really saying….?”

Mai looked towards the clouds above them and her face broke out into a full display of fear and shock, even as her voice remained dulled and low.

“He is. God damn him, he’s going for the comet.”

The reality of this possibility settled over everyone present before Gokan spoke up, the general’s rumbling voice thick with denial.

“That’s impossible. I don’t care how powerful he is, or what he’s capable of, no one can…”

He seemed to drift off a moment before shaking his head and finishing his thought. “He can’t destroy a comet. He can’t.”

Even through her own disbelief and shock, Azula turned and gave the general a sneer. “I’m sure a couple hours ago you would have said that one man facing down an army was impossible too. Or that one man could bring down the walls of Ba Sing Se. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

The general fixed her with a fiery look in his eyes though his voice and face remained stoic in the face of her rebuttal.

“And I’m sure you’re a much better judge of that then I. But the fact of the matter is—”

“The fact of the matter is that we have to trust him, general,” Iroh said, speaking up quite suddenly. His expression had become quite determined as though he had just come to a critical conclusion. Gokan looked at him, a stunned look returning to his face.

“Iroh, you can’t seriously be suggesting that we take his request at face value! We march against that force, we won’t last an hour!”

Azula watched as her uncle’s expression didn’t change. He looked down at Obito and Azula thought, not for the first time, about burning away the rest of his life then and there. Knowing that Sasuke had brought him back alive had told her that he had another purpose in mind, and that stayed her hand.

“Sasuke gave all he had to protect this city, and those of us within. Now, he says he has a plan. I don’t know exactly what that might be, but he’s told us that we are to face down my brother’s advance as part of it. Thus, I will go and meet the Fire Lord at the city limits, and I will fight: not because I inherently believe I know his plan, but because I trust Sasuke to do what is best for the people he clearly cares about.”

The Earth Nation general didn’t look convinced, but he also had nothing further to say. When he didn’t reply, Iroh looked back to Azula and everyone else.

“You’ve all seen well enough for today, perhaps for the rest of your lives. I know that some of you may not want to hear this, but it’s really in your best interests if you—”

“Not a chance.”

Of all people, the one to cut him off was Jin. Azula fought down a wave of deep resentment as the girl stepped forward, her expression fierce, not at all like the dejected state she had been in since Sasuke had revealed he had used the stupid girl as bait. Everyone looked to her and she swallowed before continuing.

“I’m not a bender. I’m not a warrior, not a fighter. But this city has protected me, and so has Sasuke. I owe it to Ba Sing Se and to him to do my part in all this.”

She looked down at a shaking hand by her side before clenching it into a fist. “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt worse, sitting there in Pao’s shop, listening to all those awful distant sounds and knowing I was sitting there doing nothing to help.”

Looking pitifully at her, Iroh took a step in her direction. “There was nothing you could—”

As though she hadn’t heard him, Jin continued over him, looking back up with a fire in her eyes that Azula knew that she had seen in the mirror herself.

“I wanted to run to the west side of the wall and help however I could, but could never quite muster up the courage. Then, this Obito person came and pulled me into it all anyway. So, I guess I’m supposed to be here somehow, for some reason. Maybe I’m no fighter, but I can help tend to the wounded and coordinate pulling them away from the battle; I already sort of did that when I tagged along when you were organizing evacuation routes.”

She then chose to acknowledge Iroh, looking at him pointedly, and Azula watched as her uncle struggled, clearly trying to turn the discussion around.

“That was so very different, Jin, that was before the battle reached the city, the danger you’d be putting yourself into…”

At this, Jin then seemed to grow actually angry.

“So what?!” she snapped. “That’s no different then the soldiers who stood guard atop the wall and in front of it and inside, ready to act and who were blown away without a moment’s notice. I’m sure the ones not dead or injured are rallying now, ready to do whatever they can to stop Ozai in his tracks! Everyone’s in danger, so I may as well do something while any second I could…”

She caught herself on that last word and Azula fought back a cold smile as she saw Jin’s confident attitude falter before she regained her composure and continued, gesturing towards the sky.

“Sasuke put himself in danger more times today than anyone hiding in this city will in their entire lives, not the stubborn merchant and his family to those selfish idiots at the leadership council at the city center, probably all cowering in their bunker now. No, I’m coming to the wall too, Iroh, and don’t even think about trying to stop me.”

As she crossed her arms and stared challengingly at Iroh, Zuko stepped forward to, his voice much less hostile, but just as determined. “Uncle, this fight is all of ours. My father will step over everyone who gets in his way, and I won’t be waiting somewhere for him to just find me when he’s burned his way through this city. I’m coming to, and I’m going to stop him.”

Not willing to be outdone, Azula stepped forward, flicking her brother a dismissive look. “As if you could handle him by yourself, ‘Zuzu. It’ll take more than just you to stop our father.”

She had meant it as an insult, but when she saw the grateful and affectionate look cross over his face, she realized that he had taken it as support and she cursed silently.

The Avatar stepped up then, looking around at everyone who hadn’t spoken yet as he did. He received tense nods from everyone, even Toph who had looked up from what looked like pure misery to blink away more tears and vehemently incline her chin at his look.

“I understand what you’re trying to do for us all, Iroh, I really do. It was the same thing Sasuke tried to do for us before today began, but…”

He fell into a pause and Azula could tell he was trying very hard to come to grips with something in his head; after several longs seconds, Aang clenched his fist and looked up resolutely.

“Sasuke once told me that I didn’t owe fighting this war to anyone. Just because the mantle of Avatar fell on my shoulders didn’t mean I had to do a damn thing for anyone. And maybe he’s right. But I won’t just be doing this because I feel it’s my responsibility.”

The Avatar gestured around to his companions and Azula felt herself flinch as he passed his hand over her as well.

“I’m doing it because I want the people I care about to be safe. For the same reason that Sasuke is doing what he’s doing, so too am I.”

If anything, Iroh’s expression was almost surprised, as though the words he was hearing didn’t quite make sense to him. But after a time, he actually smiled and closed his eyes.

“I don’t suppose I can argue with your heart, young Avatar. Well said.”

He bowed then.

“It would be an honor to fight by your side.”

Aang looked back at her uncle, looking equally surprised and Azula fought down the urge to roll her eyes when his began to fill with tears; thankfully, he shook them away before the situation became even more unbearably noble and mushy.

“The honor would be mine,” the Avatar said, and with that, General Gokan stepped forward, looking both resigned and revitalized at the same time.

“Let’s move then,” he boomed. “If we’re on Sasuke’s clock, we’re already late.”

Without any other word, he turned and began to run back towards the fallen portion of the wall. Azula watched as Iroh summoned fire beneath his feet and hands, Zuko following suit and they both propelled themselves in the same direction; Aang took flight on his glider, soaring between them and the rest of the group broke into a silent run themselves, heading to meet the Fire Lord’s advance. Azula didn’t move, but watched as Mai and Ty Lee passed her, both of them refusing to meet her eyes as they followed behind General Ixa. Azula felt a shiver run up her spine as she glared at the general’s retreating back; Ixa had been one of her chief military instructors and had taught her well under her father’s orders. Just how long had she been plotting against her own nature, the treacherous snake?

Sokka, Suki, Jin and Katara all followed behind and Azula found herself being the last still standing there, alongside Toph.

As quiet settled as they were left behind, Azula suddenly realized what an opportunity she had. She peered at Toph’s broken little face and felt her eyes widen with anticipation as she went through a hundred ways in her head of how she could make this work. Her fingers began to slide anxiously against one another as she quietly adopted a proper stance to make this as quick as she could.

“If you’re going to kill me, just do it.”

At Toph’s words, she faltered, rattled from her preparation.

“What?” was all Azula could think to ask.

Toph sniffed and turned away from Azula and the princess felt a heat rise in her gut; how dare she turn her back on her?

“If Sasuke doesn’t come back, I don’t even know how I’m going to be able to handle it anyway. You may as well just take what you want now, and burn me out of your perfect little picture.”

Azula made no such movement to do so, and only stared at the earthbender. All that resistance, that fire, that furious battle she had been willing to wage over Sasuke, and now she was just willing to surrender?

No, this was a trick, it must be.

But as Azula weighed that possibility, she felt a smile begin to crawl on her face. It didn’t matter what this was, because she knew exactly what victory was, and what it would mean to attain it.

“Oh, you poor little thing,” she jeered in a silky smooth tone, thick with scorn. “You’ve acted this whole time like you’re the one who truly loves him, and yet here you are, completely without faith that he can be the one to save us? To save _you_?”

At this, Toph turned her head over, her expression becoming tight with pain and anger, and Azula relished the sight. She strode right up to Toph and bent down, putting her face just in front of the tunnel rat and wishing beyond wishing that she could see Azula’s smile.

“Because I’ll tell you what. Sasuke is going to come back. And when he does, I’m going to be the one waiting for him, because I never lost faith. Never lost faith in the fact that he would be able to succeed and never lost faith in the fact that he would come back to me. What have you done for him Toph? Mope and hide your feelings? Assume just now that he’ll fail?”

She straightened and leered down at the earthbender with glee.

“He’ll triumph. And when he does, I’ll be the one waiting for him. Not you, not Mai, not whichever one of those other bitches think they can take him away from me.”

Azula looked skyward, relishing the pure ecstasy she felt in that moment of clarity.

“It will be me, Princess Azula, ready to welcome him back and place myself at his side.”

She turned, not willing to give the pathetic little girl a moment’s more of thought.

“You think about that while you sit there and feel sorry for yourself.”

With those last words, blue fire erupted from beneath her hands and feet and she soared up into the sky and towards her father, a man who was now nothing more than an obstacle for her to burn away. And only briefly did she feel what might have been hurt on her insides.

_Father… I was yours. I would have done anything for you. But, it turns out, you were only there to point me on my path towards Sasuke, my true destiny._

The azure flames beneath her crackled ever hotter as her smile widened and any pain melted away into purpose.

_So for that… I’ll give you a quick death._

* * *

Toph felt the heat and crackle of Azula’s fire carry her away as she stood there, fists clenched and heart pounding. As she saw everyone disappear into the cloud of dust that had been brought up as a result of the wall’s collapse, all she could do was feel nothing short of a trembling rage that was shaking her to her core.

Azula hadn’t any idea what she was talking about. It wasn’t that Toph didn’t have faith in Sasuke, faith was all she had to keep herself from falling into total panic, something to fuel her hope, but for Azula to say that… like Sasuke had just been a passing fancy that she had felt no real connection to?

 _Hell with you, Azula. Even if Sasuke doesn’t pick me, he would never choose you either. You’re a maniac, a complete lunatic. Jin was right, you don’t know what love is, you just know what it’s like to possess people like they’re your toys. You think you’re going to be the one to prove their worth to him? He’ll see me… he_ will _see me… he has to…_

Even in her head, her thoughts began to rebel against her and she allowed herself to let out a growl of frustration.

_Why can’t I just… just…_

“You know, dwelling on it really won’t do you any good.”

Yelping, Toph spun on her heel and slammed her other foot onto the ground, kicking up two spiked walls of earth to hover above whomever had just startled her with his voice.

Obito’s weight was not something Toph had been able to spend a great deal of time acclimating to, but his voice was unmistakable, that cold tone that had held Jin before them and threatened her life. Toph’s heart didn’t slow in its beating; if anything, fear kicked it to thump even faster.

“I was only with you for a couple days,” Obito said almost absently, as though he didn’t even notice her poised attack. “But if was pretty easy to tell how you feel. Next time you see him, might want to air that out.”

He grunted and shifted around and Toph could tell he was stretching his muscles.

“How did you…?” was about all she could manage to ask, and Obito replied straightforwardly.

“How did all of you just forget about me? Nothing special, just a little genjutsu I cast from the ground; nothing serious or permanent, just something to turn everyone’s attention away from myself. I didn’t want any unnecessary confrontations, so I just was waiting for everyone to move along, but you were standing there a good bit, and I’m afraid I can’t wait any longer.”

Through her fear, through what was almost a mounting panic, Toph didn’t move, but raised her earthen weapons slightly higher.

“You’re not going to touch him,” she heard herself say, and was half-stunned by her own bravery. Obito said nothing back to her for a few seconds before saying softly,

“For what I’ve done to your world and its people, I am truly sorry.”

Toph had spent years honing her abilities in sensing when people were being sincere, when they were lying, when they were hiding something; anything that wasn’t outright stated, she could pick up on relatively easily, but as she listened to Obito then, all she could piece out was truth and hurt.

_Ignore that. He could still have one of those things on me, manipulating what I can sense._

“I meant that, about Sasuke, I mean,” Obito said and before Toph could so much as muster any sort of response, he was gone as though he had never been there at all. Immediately, she reached out her feeling ability through the ground around her but felt nothing but the now distant steps of Katara, Iroh and the others as they surged towards the battle. Remembering how Sasuke had been able to levitate himself on the roof of Ozai’s palace, she yelled and tore the pieces of earth from beneath her and slung them around above her in a storm of rock and dirt. But they made no contact with anything whatsoever, and Toph dropped the pieces around her. As they fell around her with a cacophonous series of cracks and thuds, she could only hear his last words to her, echoing over and over in her head.

_What’s he talking about? How could he… know how I feel?_

Clenching her fists, Toph thought to how she had approached Sasuke on the roof and then immediately retreated upon his denial of her advance.

_Stupid Toph… you could have just talked to him about it._

She remembered how nervous she had felt when she had even thought about considering the option of telling him how she felt, but now, such a task seemed as undaunting as getting dressed in the morning. Toph had left it at that, and now she was at risk of never seeing Sasuke again.

_Like hell._

She was running before she knew it, the earth practically propelling her forward as she moved after everyone else. As she pondered what Obito was up to, or what Ozai would have in store, she found she could no longer find her fear.

As she sprinted towards war, the only thing she could feel was the beautiful sting of Sasuke’s lips against her forehead as her heart sang with elation and her gut wrenched with fury.

_Please come back, Sasuke… I have so much to tell you._

* * *

As Sasuke broke the massive bank of clouds that had settled over much of the Earth Nation that day, he was greeted by what was nothing short of a rather discouraging sight.

For whatever reason, he had convinced himself at least partially, that something like a comet was not something all that massive by planetary scale. And while he supposed that was probably still true, when the sky opened up to him and he gazed at the blinding brilliance that was Sozin’s Comet, he knew that still its size to him was an obstacle he had been a fool to overlook.

As his Susanoo fired him up into the atmosphere ever quicker, the comet barely seemed to grow in size and it was due to that which forced Sasuke to realize just how massive it was.

_Can I even do this?_

The doubt passed briefly from his mind and was felled by his determination. It could have been the size of the earth below and still Sasuke would be bearing down on it with relentless speed.

The technique was readied and prepared in his mind, and while Sasuke had everything about his plan thought out in its entirety, there was still that massive, unsettling and nagging thought in his head that kept him from feeling completely confident. At the end of the day, he was tuckered out: his body ached, his mind was struggling to remain entirely focused and he knew his chakra reserves were nothing short of running low. If he only had a chance to rest briefly and at least recover a little, the task before him would become immeasurably easier.

But there was no time; beneath him, Ozai’s final push was closer to the city than he even might have seen, and he knew he had committed to this decision anyway. Every single thing that threatened himself and his allies beyond Obito was drawing power from this comet and while he wasn’t sure exactly what would come of him carrying this out, he knew that if there was any chance that he could protect those below, this was it.

His Susanoo tightened around him as he drew closer and as the sky became nothing short of a burning white, he saw streaks of heat burning around the purple armor’s creases as they roared ever closer. Knowing his window was going to be very small, Sasuke started to charge his chakra at a single point in his hand, putting as much of his remaining reserves into it as he dared. As with many jutsu, the one he was about to perform had just sort of arrived in his head without a great deal of forethought, a culmination of jutsu he remembered from his past, both the jutsu of his and others. Lightning began to spit around his hand, almost impossible to see now in the furious light that scorched down on him from the comet as their paths drew closer.

The brightness now made it relatively impossible to see and Sasuke tapped into his Sharingan to shield his vision and still maintain awareness of how close he was. At this rate, he was traveling as fast as he dared, to get the necessary momentum to really make this technique possible while making sure he didn’t crash into the comet preemptively. Since, in reality, he wanted to make sure that he never touched the comet itself, but got as close as he was able without touching it at the speed he was traveling. His Sharingan made all this possible, but the preciseness of it all was rather boggling, even to Sasuke.

These were the things he focused on as the seconds ticked down until the moment of truth. Because he was trying hard to think about anything beyond the gravity of what he was about to do. Not the action itself, but the aftermath; the kiss he had pressed against Toph’s forehead had been as close to a goodbye as he had dared admit that he might have to give. He had something of a plan for after his jutsu was unleashed, but with how spent he was, it was as much a gamble as anything. There was no part of him that wanted this to be the end, that he knew; he was remembering more of his own past every day, names, places, events, but even more than that, as strange as it was, he didn’t know how much he wanted to leave behind these new friends either, these people who had been as revealing for him as anything. They flashed through his mind, all of their faces, from the kindest soul in Aang to the most ruthless in Azula, every single one of them meaning something to him he couldn’t quite put a finger on. He didn’t want to let them go. But this might be the only way to save them, and that was good enough.

The seconds became bare moments that passed both with an impossible speed and also drug on with a painful slowness. But Sasuke was ready as he cast a last protective jutsu in a shield over his body before vanishing his Susanoo a moment before he was a smudge against the surface of Sozin’s Comet, a expansive and stretching white that had become his horizon.

_Help the Avatar… is this what you meant, Roku? Could you have ever seen this coming?_

His drawn back arm came forward as his defenses began to dissolve. He spoke the words, but couldn’t hear them.

_Chidori…_

The tip of his fingers pushed through the heat and reached for the surface of the comet.

_…Star Crusher._

He tried to think of her face, one last time.

* * *

By the time they reached the massive gap in the wall, the fighting had already commenced and Aang looked out in sadness and desperation at the chaos that had ensued once again.

_When will this all end?_

He landed on a raised piece of the broken wall, a hundred feet above and behind the warring sides and looked out at the carnage before him.

Somehow, the military leadership still kicking, perhaps General Ungo, had managed to rally the combined forces of the Earth and Fire Nations at the breach, forming barriers in groups that were desperately fighting back the regrouped force that was the Fire Lord’s ground forces.

Despite the massive blow that Sasuke had dealt them, they were slowly but steadily pushing forward as a result of the great aid they had been lent by the power of Sozin’s Comet. Their numbers were much smaller, but with one firebender being able to practically summon a firestorm by themselves, the lines of soldiers defending Ba Sing Se were being either forced back or incinerated. Without a wall to stand atop and rain earthen missiles on the airships, Ozai’s air forces surged forward just behind the forces rushing across the ground.

Iroh touched down just next to him, looking over to him.

“Avatar, are your firebending abilities enhanced as well, given the comet above?”

In response, Aang reached within and pulled from his teachings that Zuko had enforced, pulling back an arm and imagining a whip curling outwards from it. Swinging it forward, he winced as the heat from his attack slashed overhead; a great curve of orange carved the air over him to go sailing down towards the battlefield, the width of a city block. It crashed down near a battalion of Fire Nation soldiers, and half of them vanished in a blinding flash.

“It seems my nephew taught you well,” Iroh remarked, but Aang barely heard him. No matter the situation, no matter what the cause, he would never escape the fact that he had just killed. Every soldier of the Fire Nation he had ever put down had left a mark on his conscience, it had gone against everything he had ever learned and believed.

_But if it’s for the greater good… I have no choice._

Running up behind him came the rest of his friends, save for Azula who blew clean past them all, the blue fire raging from her feet and palms propelling her towards the battle with not even a look back. Ty Lee and Zuko both yelled her name to no avail as she blazed into action, stunning her fellow firebenders with rolling walls of azure fire as she soared past them, showing absolutely no mercy. Gokan cursed as they watched her make pass after pass, wreaking havoc on Ozai’s frontline.

“I need to go relay that she’s on our side to Ungo, make sure it gets passed along so no earthbender makes the mistake of trying to take her out.”

It wasn’t lost on Aang how he had caught on the words ‘our side’ and he knew exactly why; trusting Azula was about as wise as assuming a fire wasn’t hot. The general slid down the small hill of rubble and disappeared into the cluster of scrambling men and women trying to form a last line of defense from preventing the city from being breached.

“I’m going with him,” Ixa said to Iroh. “There’s a fair few firebenders against the Fire Lord and I’m going to make sure they move into action.”

He put a hand on her shoulder briefly and she nodded back to him before disappearing the same way Gokan had. As Iroh looked out sadly over the carnage, Jin drew up next to him, looking no less determined than she had before.

“What can I do?”

Mai, Ty Lee, Sokka and Suki all formed up behind her, looking equally like they were awaiting instructions. Iroh looked to all four of the nonbenders, looking deeply strained still about the situation, but clearly understanding too that there was no more time to be spent trying to convince them otherwise.

He pointed down towards where one of the larger pieces of the wall had fallen, about four Appas tall and nine Appas long.

“You see there?”

Aang looked too and saw that there were many people congregated behind the enormous piece of fallen debris.

“There they are gathering up the wounded and moving to evacuate them to a safer part of the city. If… if you would, please do what you can in rounding up any injured soldiers you can see, safely, and move them there where they can be treated.”

Katara gave a stern nod. “I’ll go with them, they probably could use another healer.”

She looked to Aang then and he saw a distant look in her eyes, and he wondered what she was thinking about, but she said nothing before heading down the debris hill, followed by Jin and the rest, leaving Iroh, Aang, and Zuko on top of it. No one spared a hug or a goodbye, but the tension and fear was nearly palpable; Aang was barely able to keep himself from calling to Katara as she marched down into the fray, but knew that doing so would have been nothing short of a waste of time.

_Things aren’t the same between us… they might never will be again._

“Hey.”

He looked over at Zuko who was staring down at him with a firm look.

“You’re gonna see her again.”

Even just hearing those words sent a stab of emotion though Aang’s gut: affection for Zuko and Katara, hope that he was right and fear for everyone present. It struck him that he may never get a chance to say something to Sokka again, or tell Katara how he truly felt, or anything to any of the people who had just strode down into the dust and blood of the battle. But he knew deep down that Zuko’s words had to be taken to heart; if he let fear and panic take control of him, he wouldn’t be able to play his part in this day, nor would they if they did the same. He looked gratefully at the young man whom had so recently become one of his closest allies after being one of his most fearsome enemies for so long, and Zuko gave him a nod and a smile.

“Well put, Prince Zuko,” Iroh said with a warm smile. “Now, I think it’s best we—”

That was as far as he got before a bolt of fire flying high above the battlefield went sailing towards them with a glowing, furious speed. Aang barely had time to register it was coming and he found himself only able to stand there stupidly, arms hanging at his sides, totally unready to do anything to defend himself or any of the others. Zuko too appeared stunned as it drew up on them with deadly speed and precision, but Iroh stepped forward and took up a stance, swinging a hand gracefully through the air as he did. He caught the jet of flame at the tip of his fingers and he slung it up towards the sky where its redirected heat and light fizzled out.

Aang couldn’t even find himself able to muster a hastened thanks as his heart pounded, but fortunately, Zuko had the wherewithal to do so for him.

“Thanks, uncle,” he said breathlessly and Iroh nodded grimly. Aang noticed that despite having potentially saved all three of their lives, he wasn’t so much as giving either of them a glance.

“It seems he’s finally ready to play his part in this final gambit,” he said, and Aang followed the older man’s gaze to look and see just where the attack had come from.

Descending from one of his airships, fire burning beneath his feet with a rampant overpowering glow, Fire Lord Ozai moved slowly towards the battle. Fire coursed around his arms and even from such a great distance, Aang could tell that he was smiling. He must have been able to see Aang and the two members of his family perched as high up as they were and had been looking for a quick kill. Aang’s heart only seemed to beat harder as he considered how close Ozai had been to killing him just then.

Zuko seemed to be feeling no such shock at the near miss and stepped forward, his eyes alive with as much heat as Aang had ever seen. Though his fists trembled at his side, his voice was steady and low as he spoke.

“Uncle. I know this is the last thing you want… but I have to face him. When Azula sees him, she’ll attack recklessly; whatever her newfound obsession with Sasuke is, and the betrayal she still feels from father, she’ll throw everything she has at him and I… I need to be there for her.”

His mouth tightened in a harsh line.

“I have to put an end to this just as much as she does.”

Aang waited for Iroh to agree with Zuko’s assessment and tell him that he needed to steer clear of his father, but his uncle only regarded him with proud and tired eyes, reaching out and putting a hand on Zuko’s forearm.

“Don’t think you two will be going at this alone. This is just as much my duty as yours.”

Zuko stared at his uncle for a long moment, looking to be in utter surprise of the response before his face broke into a wide smile.

“Let’s do this, uncle.”

From ahead of them, another jet of fire came racing their way, as wide as house this time and scorching their way with all the fury of the sick mind behind it as Ozai tried again to extinguish what he probably saw as some of his greatest personal threats. But even as Aang prepared to intercept it, dropping into a readied stance alongside Zuko and Iroh, a massive wall of earth shot up between them and the attack. Aang couldn’t see it, but he imagined Ozai’s attack splashing harmlessly against the sudden barrier that had been erected just then.

With a start, he realized that in the fright of the moment, he had forgotten about one very important person whom it seemed had been lagging behind.

“What kept you?” Zuko asked, almost casually as Toph marched up behind them. It was a typical way for Toph to walk, fists clenched at her side, feet pounding the ground almost like a child throwing a tantrum, but it was her expression that threw Aang off. In all the time he had known her, he could count on one hand the number of times he had seen her genuinely mad, to a point where he felt uncomfortable to be near her. It wasn’t like when she argued with Katara or bickered with Sokka, this was one of those very few times where she looked practically murderous.

“I was figuring some things out,” she replied offhandedly and didn’t so much as stop as she walked past them, bare feet stepping confidently down towards the scene of conflict. Aang wondered what it felt like to her, to know of everything that was happening, but being only able to feel it. He had yet to become adept enough with earthbending to be able to sense the heat of fire from the ground below, but it was clear to him that if Toph was presently able to perform what was hardly an easy form of her skill, something had happened to jolt her from her despairing and agonized state that he had seen on her face throughout the entire morning and midday. She was focused and she was mad.

“Where are you going?” he heard himself ask as she drew further from them.

“I’m going down to the fight,” she replied simply. “And when I get down there, I’m going to kill every Fire Nation soldier I can sense.”

Leaving them with that hardly comforting thought, she too moved her way down the slope towards the fray; Aang finally found himself able to move and he made to walk after her, before turning back to Iroh and Zuko. They no doubt saw the desperate look on his face and Zuko nodded at him.

“Go. Keep an eye on her. Do what you can. We’ll handle my father.”

Aang swallowed and nodded back to him and gave Iroh a thankful look. The older man gave him a last warm smile before the he and his nephew lifted off from the ground on trails of fire of their own, angling towards the form of Ozai, hovering in the distance like a reborn god gazing over all.

As he found himself quite alone then, Aang chanced a glance up towards the clouds above and closed his eyes for a brief moment, hoping somehow that his silent prayer reached whoever it needed to.

_Sasuke… whatever you’re planning…I hope you know what you’re doing._

* * *

Ozai stared down at the violence and carnage blossoming out beneath him as an artist might look on their finest work. As he saw his firebenders whip about attacks far greater than the likes of anything that had been seen in many decades, he turned his gaze up towards where Sozin’s Comet burned behind the clouds, a great orange smear against the gloom above. He pulled in deep breathes of the smoggy, iron-laced air that swirled around him on that dry, hot day.

_This will be my finest day. This will be my greatest triumph._

To hell with those two freaks. Hopefully, they Obito and Sasuke had taken one another out, something he assumed could very well be the case considering he hadn’t seen either of them return to battle at that point. Even if one of them were still alive, he remembered what Obito had told him about the toll it would take on Sasuke to perform as he had against his army. Ozai could only assume that the force required to topple perhaps the largest known structure to him or any of the four nations would have no doubt wore him down. If he needed to sweep in afterwards and make sure they were both removed from the picture, that would be something he would be all too happy to deal with.

At a bright flash somewhere beneath him, he flicked his eyes down and saw a plume of bright blue fire curling a hundred feet into the air. His gut surged with regret and anger, and his lip curled.

_My daughter… truly, it hurts me that it had to come to this. But if this was the price to pay for the Fire Nation’s rule, I don’t regret it in the slightest._

Peering ahead again, Ozai saw the spot where the Avatar, his brother and his son had occupied was no empty, and soaring through the air towards them were the latter two, the other members of his family present that day. He glared at his brother, feeling a wave of anger for how he had transformed his son into a cowardly, weak shell of what he could have been. Seeing the both of them bearing down on him sent such a wave of heat flowing through him but he had no choice but to turn to the sky and send a fountain of orange fire spewing into the sky, as he let his rage burst free of him as it constantly replenished itself and fueled his every movement.

Seeing the sharp blue glint at the last second, he altered the position where he hovered just a couple feet to his left to avoid a bolt of lightning that forked by his face.

_It appears she’s seen me as well._

Within the next few seconds, he watched as Iroh, Zuko and Azula flew up in front of him to form a half circle in his direction. He looked around at each of them, every single one a disappointment in their own right; Zuko, once the person Ozai believed would be his greatest success in life, now a flawed and broken young man, twisted and confused beyond fixing. His brother, whom he had never seen eye to eye with, whom had always been a constant pain in his side even when public opinion was harshly against Iroh, he had still always found a way to irk Ozai in the most frustrating of ways. A constant and present reminder of both his sins and his missteps, he found it impossible to comprehend how he had never quite been able to simply take his brother out of the equation; as much of a nuisance and problem as he was, eliminating him would have been much the efficient and appropriate choice. But Ozai knew why. It was the same reason why he had exiled his son instead of having him killed outright. It was the same reason he had spent the entire day prior to his attempted murder of his daughter filled with deep dread. No matter how he had tried to cast it out, those weaker emotions had always managed to find a place in his heart.

No more could he have felt those emotions more strongly than he did as he turned his attention to his daughter, allowing himself to feel a last wave of that same dread and regret he had felt that day. For, of the three he was about to murder, this was the one that hurt the most to even consider. But at the threshold of ultimate victory, there could be no weakness. When the world was won, there could be time to worry about a new family, new potential heirs that could carry on his final legacy. Still, he let himself a last moment to mourn for the family who never would have been able to follow him on this last great journey before peace.

“Azula… I’m sorry you could not be my side this day,” he said. It was strange to hear his voice isolated from any other noise just about then. The surrounding war should have generated well enough noise to make talking impossible, but so high up they were, all that could be heard for the most part were distant screams and explosions, and the powerful hum of his airships. His voice came out clear and controlled, and he did his best to act as if neither Zuko nor Iroh were there. “But for the sake of our nation, I had to make this sacrifice.”

He waited for his daughter to yell angrily at him, or perhaps to tell him that she did indeed understand what he had done, as would have been his hope. But instead, a smile stretched over her face and she let out a cackle as she threw her head back. It was not lost on him as well that she still wore her noble attire, though whether this was as an insult or out of pride, he wasn’t sure.

“You truly I think I care about that anymore, father? I’ve already left you behind; you were as much a weakness to me as you think I am to you. It’s time for you to move on, otherwise, it might make me killing you a little too easy.”

This was enough to surprise him into silence for a few long seconds. Azula was smiled strongly, looking no more at odds with the situation than anyone could have been. Ozai stared at her, wondering just what it was that had made her so apathetic to the idea that she was now just as serious an enemy to him as the Avatar. As though she had read his mind, she inclined her head, smirking further.

“I’ve found a greater purpose, father, a life dedicated to someone who means more to me than you ever did. Someone I can give myself to completely.”

As she said this and he caught a glimpse of Zuko’s face flickering with an uncomfortable expression, Ozai realized immediately what it was that Azula was talking about.

“Oh, my dear… you haven’t fallen for that freak, have you?”

Azula seemed to bristle then, her smile faltering and he knew that he had surmised correctly.

“Don’t you dare…” she seethed. “He cares about me more than you ever did.”

Ozai shook his head. “I thought I taught you better than that. For you to throw yourself at someone just because you feel ill towards me, I can understand that frustration. You’re hurt because of the choice I had to make, but you can’t just assume this boy, this alien is the best way in which to cope.”

From the distance between them, Azula stared him down before slowly shaking her head, her voice coming out almost too softly for him to hear.

“No, father. You taught me just fine. I remember what you told me.”

He knew what she was going to say even before she repeated his own words back to him.

“I do what is right by my own principles. If you wish to revile me as a villain, I will shoulder that. I will deflect your hate off my armor. And you, father, are trying to stop me.”

In one of her hands, fire burst to life, blue and bright.

“So I will burn you away and walk over your ashes.”

In her other, lightning burst to life, crackling around her arm like a ravenous animal.

“That is the curse I’ve chosen to bear.”

In the azure light of her bending, her smile was wicked and hungry. In another now, Ozai felt that he could have been proud of her. But the only thing he needed to know now was that she was not only dangerous, she had no reservations about attacking him. In his head, there had been a wild, impossible thought that perhaps he could turn her back to his side, despite the possibility that this could influence the comet’s path yet again, or lure himself into a trap, but now, that hopeless thought was that much easier to bury.

Slowly, Ozai turned his eyes from his daughter to his son and brother.

“Well done, Iroh,” he muttered with a sarcastic and bitter tone. “You’ve turned these two into an even bigger disappointment than your own son.”

Zuko flew into a rage almost immediately, jabbing a finger towards Ozai, his voice an angry snarl.

“He’s a better father than you could ever be!! He’s a better friend, and a better—”

At a raised hand from Iroh, he cut off and Ozai saw his brother looking down with a sad look in his eyes, though a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

“You’re too kind, Prince Zuko. But we mustn’t let ourselves get riled up.”

Seeming to understand the meaning of this, Zuko nodded and turned back to Ozai, his determined and focused expression.

“I failed my own son, but he was no disappointment,” Iroh said then, directing his voice towards Ozai. The Fire Lord genuinely couldn’t remember the last time he and his brother had exchanged words; he had thrown him in prison through the orders of others after the Avatar had been supposedly killed. It must have been even before Zuko was exiled. As he looked at his older brother then, Ozai could finally see it though, that anger that he had felt conversely towards Iroh every day of their adulthood.

“There is no part of me that wants to have to do this,” he said bitterly to Ozai and he could sense that Iroh was telling the truth. “But I know that I have to.”

“If you’re done being emotional, uncle,” Azula said, “I think it’s about time we end this.”

With that, no more words came from Zuko, Azula or Iroh and Ozai watched as all three of them took up stances as they hovered before him. His son and brother adopted their pathetic little defensive stances while Azula pulled her arms around her body in the aggressive stance that he remembered having taught her from a very young age. Ozai closed his eyes for a single moment and allowed himself to let them all go.

Then, he opened them and let his anger and ambition course though him.

“Very well. If the path forward must take me through the three of you… so be it.”

He let fire erupt to life around him, swirling around him in a cacophonous roar. Waiting for them to make them make the first move, he took in the violence of the battlefield, the hate in his heart and the joy he felt for his upcoming triumph.

There was a long moment where the four of them remained readied, waiting for the first move to be made, or deciding whether or not they would be the one to make it. But as it would happen, it would be none of them that made the first move.

For, a moment later, the sky exploded.


End file.
